US Navy aircraft transits Taiwan Strait before planned Xi-Trump meeting

A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace on Friday, in a move the U.S. 7th Fleet said "demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific".

The Chinese military tracked and monitored ‌the patrol ⁠and reconnaissance ⁠aircraft throughout the transit, the state-backed Global Times newspaper reported, citing a ​military source, saying the "situation was under control".

U.S. military ships or aircraft every ​few months pass through or above the waterway that separates democratically governed Taiwan from China - missions that anger Beijing.


Chinese President ​Xi Jinping is expected to visit ⁠the United States ‌next month to meet President Donald ​Trump as ​Washington and Beijing look to stabilise ties marred ⁠by issues including Taiwan, trade disputes and technology curbs.

"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.

"The aircraft's transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The ‌United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows."

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as ​its own territory ​and says it ⁠has jurisdiction over the strait. Taiwan and the U.S. say the strait is an international waterway.

Beijing has repeatedly said the ​Taiwan issue is its internal affair and at the core of Beijing's interests - a red line that must not be crossed or trampled on.

Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims, saying that only Taiwan's people can decide their future.