A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane flew through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, just hours after a rare phone call between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun. The mission, conducted in international airspace, has once again highlighted the ongoing tensions between the United States and China over the status of Taiwan and the navigational rights in the region.
The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet stated that the aircraft's transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, emphasizing that the U.S. military operates anywhere international law allows. "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.
In response to the U.S. Navy's mission, China's military said it had sent fighter jets to monitor and warn the U.S. plane, describing the flight as "public hype." The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) stated that its troops are always on high alert and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability.
Taiwan's defense ministry confirmed that the U.S. aircraft flew south through the strait and that Taiwanese forces had monitored the situation but observed nothing unusual. China, which claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the strait, has not yet issued an official reaction to the incident.
The latest Poseidon mission came shortly after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, marking the first engagement between the two in more than a year as both countries seek to restore military ties. During the call, 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 the Chinese ministry.
The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties. The issue of Taiwan's sovereignty remains a constant irritant for Sino-U.S. relations, with U.S. military ships and aircraft transiting the narrow Taiwan Strait about once a month. Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims and maintains that only the island's people can decide their future, while China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
The passage of the U.S. Navy aircraft through the Taiwan Strait comes at a time when military-to-military contact between the United States and China has been strained. Communication was suspended in August 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, prompting China to fire missiles over the island and stage a surge in military maneuvers that appeared to be a rehearsal of a naval and aerial blockade.
