The U.S. Navy has flown a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft through the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate what it calls “freedom of navigation” through the waterway claimed by China.
The transit was carried out on Tuesday in international air space "in accordance with international law," the Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement, adding that it "demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."
The U.S. military and allies have been conducting so-called freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea where regional countries face increased aggression from China.
This is the second such overflight by a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon, designated for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, since April and the sixth U.S. FONOP since the beginning of the year.
Taiwan’s defense ministry confirmed that the aircraft “flew from south to north through the Taiwan Strait” on Tuesday morning and described the situation as normal.
The Chinese military responded by scrambling warplanes to "follow, monitor and deal with the U.S. aircraft according to the law and regulations," the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, responsible for the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, said in a statement.
The Command’s spokesperson, Senior Captain Li Xi, said that Chinese troops “remain on high alert at all times and are resolutely safeguarding China's national sovereignty as well as regional peace and stability.”
Freedom of navigation
Last Friday, two German warships carried out a rare transit through the Taiwan Strait, the first by Germany’s navy in more than 20 years.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the passage of the frigate Baden-Württemberg and replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, saying “international waters are international waters.”
“It's the shortest and, given the weather conditions, the safest route. So we are passing through," Pistorius said.
Germany said it considered the transit "completely normal," and did not inform China in advance.
China’s foreign ministry accused Germany of “provoking and endangering China’s sovereignty and security under the guise of freedom of navigation.”
Beijing considers Taiwan a Chinese province and the Taiwan Strait its territorial waters. The PLA regularly sends ships and aircraft to the waters around Taiwan.
Chinese flotilla heads for Pacific
Taipei's ministry of defense said a Chinese navy flotilla led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning sailed through waters northeast of Taiwan and continued toward the southeast of Japan's Yonaguni Island on Wednesday.
It is the first time this year the Liaoning – China’s first of three aircraft carriers – has entered the Western Pacific.
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Chinese state media reported that the PLA has started trials of China's next-generation carrier-borne fighter jet, the J-35, on the Liaoning.
The J-35, also known as Shenyang FC-31, is a mid-size stealth multirole fighter developed by China’s Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. Once deployed it can greatly strengthen the carrier’s capabilities.
Edited by Mike Firn.