TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) \u2014 The U.S. 7th Fleet said a Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, a day after U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The patrol and reconnaissance plane \u201ctransited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,\u201d the 7th Fleet said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The critical strait is 160 kilometers (100 mile) wide and divides China from the self-governing island democracy. Although it\u2019s in international waters, China considers the passage of foreign military aircraft and ships through it a challenge to its sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China claims the island of Taiwan, threatening to defend it by force if necessary despite U.S. military support for the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China scrambled fighter jets to \u201cmonitor the U.S. plane\u2019s passage\u201d and operated \u201cin accordance of laws and regulations, naval Col. Li Xi, spokesperson for the Chinese People\u2019s Liberation Army\u2019s Eastern Theater Command, said in a report on the command\u2019s official Weibo social media site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTheater troops are on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China routinely issues stern protests and activates defenses in response to the passage of ships and military planes through the straight, particularly those from the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China also regularly sends navy ships and warplanes into the strait and other areas around the island to wear down Taiwan\u2019s defenses and seek to intimidate its 23 million people, who firmly back their de facto independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations. The aircraft\u2019s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States\u2019 commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,\u201d the 7th Fleet statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin\u00a0spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, on Tuesday in the latest U.S. effort to improve communications with the Chinese military and reduce the chances of a clash in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the first time Austin has talked to Dong and the first time he has spoken at length with any Chinese counterpart since November 2022. The call, which lasted a bit more than an hour, came as U.S. Secretary of State\u00a0Antony Blinken\u00a0is expected to travel to China this month for talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Military-to-military contact stalled in August 2022, when Beijing suspended all such communication after\u00a0then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China responded by\u00a0firing missiles\u00a0over Taiwan and staging\u00a0a surge\u00a0in\u00a0military maneuvers, including what appeared to be a rehearsal of a naval and aerial blockade of the island.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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