China sends fighter jets to warn US warplane flying over Taiwan Strait

On Thursday, China said that it had deployed fighter jets to monitor and caution a US Navy patrol aircraft that had flown through the

Taiwan Strait

. "Troops in the theatre are always on high alert and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability," Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the spokesperson of the

Eastern Theatre Command

of the

People's Liberation Army

, said in a statement.
The US Navy's 7th Fleet confirmed that the

P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol

and reconnaissance plane, utilized for anti-submarine missions, had flown through the strait in international airspace. The Navy emphasized that this operation, conducted within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, upholds navigational rights and freedoms for all nations. They stated that the transit underscores the United States' commitment to a "free and open Indo-Pacific."
China's military dismissed the flight as "public hype" and said that it had dispatched fighters to monitor and caution the US plane. The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army affirmed that troops in the area remain on high alert, ready to defend national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.
Taiwan's defense ministry confirmed that the US aircraft had flown northward through the strait, adhering to its median line. They assured that Taiwan's forces monitored the situation, which remained "normal." It's noteworthy that China routinely conducts military activities in the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding seas and skies.

The last Poseidon mission through the strait was announced by the United States in July.
China asserts sovereignty over Taiwan, a democratic nation, and claims jurisdiction over the narrow waterway. In contrast, Taiwan and the United States dispute this, asserting that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.