3 months ago
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FILE - A US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flies near Chinese structures and buildings on the man-made Fiery Cross Reef at the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea are seen on March 20, 2022. (AP)
Chinese warplanes
tailed a
US P-8A Poseidon
aircraft through the sensitive
Taiwan Strait
on Tuesday, according to a statement by the
People’s Liberation Army
’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. The P-8A Poseidon is a patrol and reconnaissance plane capable of long-range anti-submarine warfare.
Li Xi
, a senior colonel and spokesperson for the command, said that PLA forces "organized warplanes to tail and monitor the US aircraft's flight and handled it in accordance with the law."
"Theater command troops will remain on constant high alert and resolutely safeguard
national sovereignty
and security as well as
regional peace
and stability," Li added.
The US Navy has yet to comment on the incident.
The Taiwan Strait is a focal point of tensions between China and other countries, as China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and is wary of foreign
military presence
in the region. The patrol comes just days after Germany sailed two warships through the strait, marking its first transit in more than two decades and drawing criticism from Beijing.
This latest encounter echoes a 2001 incident when a US surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter jet collided near the island of Hainan, resulting in the death of the Chinese pilot. The US maintained that its aircraft was flying in international airspace and blamed the accident on reckless flying by the Chinese side.
