A U.S. Navy patrol aircraft sailed across the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, calling the operation a display of the country’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the strait. There is a disagreement between Taiwan and the United States since both countries assert that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.
As reported by the Seventh Fleet of the United States Navy, a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane, also utilized for anti-submarine missions, was observed flying over the strait while in international airspace.
“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” it said in a statement.
It was regarded as “normal” by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, which stated that its forces had been monitoring the United States aircraft as it traveled south via the Taiwan Strait.
China did not immediately provide a comment on the matter. The last time the U.S. was in October, the Navy announced that a Poseidon had flown across the strait. China said it had dispatched fighter planes to monitor and warn the aircraft.
Taiwan is gearing up for presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13, which China has characterized as a choice between war and peace.
China has stepped up its military action surrounding Taiwan in the previous four years, including hosting two rounds of massive war simulations over the last year and a half.
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