BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s military said on Wednesday it sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft that flew over the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that took place just hours after a call between the Chinese and U.S. defense chiefs.
China says it has jurisdiction over the strait. Taiwan and the United States dispute that, claiming the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.
The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane, which is also used for anti-submarine missions, flew over the strait in international airspace.
China’s military described the flight as “public hype”, adding it had sent fighters to monitor and warn the U.S. plane and “deal with it in accordance with the law and regulations”.
“Troops in the theatre are always on high alert and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability,” the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement.
The last time the U.S. Navy announced a Poseidon had flown through the strait, in December, China’s military said it had also sent fighter jets to monitor and warn the aircraft.
The latest Poseidon mission came shortly after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, the first engagement the two have had in more than a year as the two countries seek to restore military ties.
Dong told Austin that the Taiwan issue is “core of China’s core interests and China’s core interests must absolutely not be harmed,” according to a readout from his ministry.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never let any Taiwan independence separatist activities and external connivance and support go unchecked,” it cited Dong as saying.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, and the issue is a constant irritant for Sino-U.S. relations.
U.S. military ships and aircraft transit the narrow Taiwan Strait about once a month.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.