A US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft yesterday transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace, in a move the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The transit comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China this month as Washington and Beijing look to stabilize ties marred by issues including Taiwan, trade disputes and technology curbs.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement.
Photo: Screen grab from the US Naval Air Systems Command Web site
US military ships or aircraft routinely pass through or above the waterway — missions that always anger Beijing.
China says it has jurisdiction over the Strait, claims that Taiwan and the US dispute, saying that the Strait is an international waterway.
Last month, Australia’s HMAS Toowoomba, an Anzac-class frigate “conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait” as part of a Regional Presence Deployment, an Australian government source said at the time.
China’s state-run Global Times said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army had carried out “full-process tracking, monitoring and alert operations throughout the transit” of the Australian vessel.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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