A day after their unusual meeting, the chiefs of defense for the US and China pilot planes over the Taiwan Strait

One day after the US and Chinese defense chiefs conducted their first discussions since November 2022 in an attempt to ease regional tensions, the US 7th Fleet reported that a Navy P-8A Poseidon passed across the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.

According to a press statement from the 7th Fleet, the patrol and reconnaissance aircraft “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace.”

The statement said, “The United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations by operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law.”

The 160-kilometer (100-mile)-wide vital strait separates China from the independent island democracy. China views the passing of foreign military ships and planes through it, even though it is in international seas, as a threat to its sovereignty.

Even though the US military supports Taiwan, China claims the island and threatens to protect it with force if needed.

In a report posted on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command’s official Weibo social media site, navy Col. Li Xi, spokeswoman for the command, said that China scrambled fighter planes to “monitor the US plane’s passage” and acted “in accordance with laws and regulations.”

“Theatre troops are steadfastly defending national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability, at all times,” Li said.

When ships or military aircraft sail across the Taiwan Strait, especially those belonging to the United States, China often responds with sharp complaints and mobilizes its defenses.

In an effort to weaken Taiwan’s defenses and scare its 23 million citizens—who adamantly support their de facto independence—China also often launches military ships and fighter jets into the Strait and other regions around the island.

“The United States defends the freedoms and rights of all states to navigate the Taiwan Strait in conformity with international law. The aircraft’s passage over the Taiwan Strait exemplifies US commitment to an open and unrestricted Indo-Pacific region. According to a statement from the 7th Fleet, “The United States military operates, sails, and flies wherever international law permits.”

In the most recent US attempt to enhance relations with the Chinese military and lessen the likelihood of a conflict in the area, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, on Tuesday.

It was Austin’s first conversation with Dong and his first in-depth conversation with a Chinese colleague since November 2022. The conversation, which lasted little over an hour, coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s anticipated visit to China later this month for negotiations.

After then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, Beijing halted all military-to-military communication, causing the relationship to come to a standstill. In retaliation, China fired missiles over Taiwan and launched a flurry of military maneuvers, including what seemed to be a mock naval and air raid on the island.