Chinese Fighter Jets Overshadow United States Reconnaissance Plane Patrols In Taiwan Strait

US Navy spinning aircraft P-8 Poseidon. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/MC3 Daniel J. Meshel)

JAKARTA - The Chinese military said on Wednesday it was sending fighter jets to monitor and warn US Navy patrol aircraft flying over the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese military described the flight as a "public furore", adding that it had sent fighter aircraft to monitor and warn US aircraft and "handling it in accordance with laws and regulations".

Troops at the theater have always been vigilant and will firmly defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability, the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said its troops monitored US aircraft while flying south through the strait, describing the situation as "normal".

China, which claims sovereignty over democratically-ruled Taiwan, says it has jurisdiction over the strait.

On the other hand, Taiwan and the United States have denied Beijing's claims, saying the Taiwan Strait is a path to international waters.

The US Navy's 7th Fleet said patrol and reconnaissance aircraft of the P-8A Poseidon maritime, which is also used for anti-submarine missions, flew over the strait in international airspace.

The United States itself assesses that the transit of their ships or aircraft in the Taiwan Strait shows a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Uncle Sam's country's military flies, sail, and operates wherever international law allows, he said in a statement.

It is known, the last time the US Navy announced the Poseidon had flown through the strait, in October. China said it had delivered fighter jets to monitor and warn the aircraft.

The Bamboo Curtain country is known to have increased its military activity around Taiwan in the past four years, including conducting two rounds of major war games over the past year and a half.