Chinese warplanes track US Navy aircraft through the sensitive Taiwan Strait

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China deployed military aircraft and ships to track and monitor a U.S. Navy plane transiting the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Beijing said, as the two nations continue to spar over self-ruled Taiwan.

The U.S. Navy’s 7th fleet said in a statement a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flew through the strait’s international space “in accordance with international law.” The transit upheld navigational rights for all nations and “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it added.

The U.S. is Taiwan’s most important supporter and arms provider, and American military ships and aircraft regularly transit the waterway separating China from self-ruled Taiwan. Beijing claims the East Asian island as its own territory and threatens to annex it, by force if necessary.

China criticized the U.S. mission and said it endangered regional peace and stability, according to a statement by Colonel Cao Jun, spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command Air Force.

China sends military ships or planes near Taiwan almost daily. On Monday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported a Chinese balloon over the sea north of the island.

Last month, China sent a record one-day total of 153 aircraft, 14 navy vessels and 12 Chinese government ships near the island as part of military drills in reaction to Taiwan’s president rejecting Beijing’s claims of sovereignty.