US Navy aircraft flies through the Taiwan Strait

Photo: Navy aircraft P-8A Poseidon< /p>

The US Seventh Fleet reported that a Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, April 17.

This came a day after the heads of the US and Chinese defense departments held their first talks since November 2022 in an attempt to reduce tensions in the region.

The patrol and reconnaissance aircraft “flyed through the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a press release, reports  Associated Press.

"Operating in the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States supports the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,", – the release said.

The 160-kilometer-wide strait separating mainland China and the self-governing island democracy is international waters.

However, Beijing views the entry of foreign military aircraft and ships into it as a challenge to its sovereignty.

China has not yet responded to this message.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga