Chinese warplanes have tailed a US military aircraft through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, according to China’s military.
The US aircraft in question was a P-8A Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance plane, known for its long-range anti-submarine warfare capabilities, as per a statement by the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command.
Senior Colonel Li Xi, a spokesperson for the command, stated that Chinese military forces “organised warplanes to tail and monitor the US aircraft’s flight and handled it in accordance with the law.”
He further added that “Theater command troops will remain on constant high alert and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.”
The US Navy has yet to comment on the incident. China, which claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own territory, is often irked by other countries’ patrolling the body of water separating it from the island.
This comes after Germany sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait last Friday, marking its first transit of the disputed waters in over two decades, much to Beijing’s chagrin.
It’s worth noting that back in 2001, a mid-air collision occurred near the Chinese island province of Hainan between a US surveillance plane and a Chinese navy fighter, resulting in the death of the Chinese pilot.
The US maintained that its plane was in international airspace and blamed the accident on reckless flying by the Chinese side.