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China objects to US flyover in Taiwan Strait
The Chinese military has denounced the entry of a US military aircraft into the Taiwan Strait, saying it is tantamount to destabilising relations with Beijing.
The Chinese military’s social media account on Weibo said that it had mobilised its forces in the region in response to the event, and would continue to do so to ‘safeguard national sovereignty’.
However, the US Navy said that its aircraft had been sent to demonstrate a commitment to free navigation.
‘A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace on June 24. The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait,’ it said in a statement.
It went on to say: ‘By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations. The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.’
The US Navy flight came in the wake of numerous air incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone by Chinese military aircraft, including by some 30 aircraft on 21 June.
[Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=393514]
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