The United States has sent a military patrol aircraft to the Taiwan Strait weeks before the Xi-Trump summit, triggering People’s Liberation Army jet manoeuvres near Taiwan after several days of pause.
A US Navy P-8A Poseidon transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace on Wednesday, the US Seventh Fleet said on Thursday.
The passage through the waterway separating Taiwan and mainland China illustrated the US’ commitment to “a free and open Indo-Pacific”, Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesman for the US Seventh Fleet, said in an email.
It marked the first publicly reported transit this year, although US military ships and aircraft routinely pass through or above the waterway.
The flight also came weeks before US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China, from March 31 to April 2, when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Taiwan is likely to feature on the agenda.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
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