WASHINGTON — The U.S. military issued a statement on Friday (June 24) acknowledging that a P-8A “Poseidon” anti-submarine patrol and reconnaissance aircraft of the U.S. Navy flew over the Taiwan Strait on Friday, demonstrating to the region that the U.S. is committed to maintaining the Indo-Pacific region. commitment to freedom and openness.
In this statement, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said: “A U.S. Navy P-8A “Poseidon” reconnaissance aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait from international airspace on June 24. The United States will continue to fly wherever international law allows. , navigation and operations, including the Taiwan Strait.””The United States conducts activities in the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law and safeguards the maritime rights and freedoms of all countries,” the statement said.
The statement emphasized that “the aircraft’s flight across the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”This action by the US military is clearly a response to the recent sudden deterioration of tension in the Taiwan Strait.On June 12, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe stated forcefully when attending a security forum meeting in Singapore: “If someone dares to separate Taiwan, we will fight at all costs, and we will fight to the end. This is China’s only choice. .”
On June 14, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin suddenly denied the statement that the Taiwan Strait is an international waters, saying that such a statement was an excuse for the relevant country to “manipulate Taiwan-related issues and threaten China’s sovereignty and security.”
Changes in Beijing’s stance on the positioning of waters in the Taiwan Strait have heightened tensions in the region. On June 21, the CCP dispatched 29 military aircraft to enter Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone, including a Y-9 communication countermeasure aircraft, a Y-8 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, two KJ-500s, six H-6 bombers, One Yun-8 anti-submarine aircraft, one Yunyou-20 tanker, five J-11 fighter jets, four Su-30 fighter jets, and eight J-16 fighter jets.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said on Saturday (June 25) that the actions of the U.S. military aircraft “interfere with the situation in the region and endanger the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.” The Chinese military “expressed its firm opposition.”
Shi Yi said that the People’s Liberation Army “followed surveillance and vigilance against the US aircraft throughout the entire operation” in the air and on the ground.According to Taiwan’s English-language news reports, on June 17, the third Chinese-made aircraft carrier Fujian was launched. On June 19, China conducted an anti-missile test. On June 22, two naval warships of the People’s Liberation Army sailed close to the northeast coast of Yilan County, Taiwan.
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