China says its military has tracked and monitored a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft throughout its transit of the Taiwan Strait, describing the situation as “under control” amid renewed tensions between Beijing and Washington, ahead of an expected meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping next month.
The U.S. 7th Fleet said the aircraft flew through international airspace, defending the operation as an exercise of navigational rights under international law. The fleet said the transit “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
China’s state-backed Global Times, citing a military source, reported that Chinese forces monitored the aircraft throughout the transit and said the “situation was under control”.
