On Wednesday, the U.S. 7th Fleet declared that a Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait.
This comes just a day after U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. In a news release, the 7th fleet stated that the P-8A “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace”. The Taiwan Strait is 100 miles (160 km) wide, and separates China from Taiwan. Due to the fact that China claims the island as its own, foreign military aircraft passage through the strait is viewed as an infringement on China’s sovereignty. In response to the presence of U.S. aircraft, China sent fighter jets to “monitor the U.S. plane’s passage”. According to a statement given by the 7th Fleet, the U.S. was operating in the Strait in accordance with international law. Additionally, the move signifies “U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/us-china-taiwan-strait-flight-ea835c8b35b63a50b5354a5dc9280116
