A US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane flew over the Taiwan Strait on Friday, drawing a rebuke from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
“In the recent period, US warships and planes have frequently carried out provocative actions, fully proving that the US is a disruptor of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and a creator of security risks in the Taiwan Strait,” said Col. Shi Yi, spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command.
Shi also said the Eastern Theater Command had “organized troops to track and monitor the US aircraft in the whole course.”
The US Navy’s Japan-based Seventh Fleet insisted the flyover was done in “accordance with international law” and said the US would continue to “fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait.”
Earlier in April, the US sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait, which is more common than a flyover. The last time a US spy plane flew over the sensitive waterway was in February, which marked the first US military flight in the Taiwan Strait since June 2022.
Also on Friday, Taiwan reported an uptick in Chinese military activity. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it detected 38 PLA aircraft, including 19 that crossed the median line, which separates the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The ministry also detected six PLA Navy vessels.
China has stepped up military pressure in response to growing US-Taiwan ties. The PLA used to very rarely send aircraft across the median line, but since then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, it has become a common occurrence.
Friday marked the largest Chinese show of force in the region since the PLA held major drills earlier this month in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in California.
US Spy Plane Flies Over Taiwan Strait
good thing that they didn’t send a spy balloon
The US Navy’s Japan-based Seventh Fleet insisted the flyover was done in “accordance with international law” and said the US would continue to “fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait.”
Never for any strategic reason. Just to piss them off. Always looking to encourage war. Lula’s words proven on a daily basis.
In accordance with international law?
That kite doesn’t fly.
Who is the moron stating that the US does things in accordance with international laws?
Since when does the US adhere and respect international laws and treaties – it doesn’t – The US has repeatedly threatened the ICC when it was considering investigating the US for war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan thanks to the revelations by Wikileaks -[Free Assange]
The prime example is that the US is still in Syria even though she has been asked to leave – The US has rudely ignored this request and boldly continued stealing Syrian resources such as crude and all that without a mandate.
Obviously another provocation to try and make China fire the first shots as the excuse to start WWIII. With all the insanity in Wash., the MSM, schools and the lawlessness in the streets and mass killings, America is now reaping what their so called ‘leaders’ have sown for decades. Protect yourself and your interests is about all you can do when it all comes down over us.
It’s always interesting how pro-war people babble about “making” regimes start wars, as a preemptive excuse for those regimes starting wars.
If the Chinese regime decides to start a war, it will be the Chinese regime that decided to start a war.
I suspect the people controlling the Chinese regime are smarter than to do so, though, at least at this time.
True, it takes two to make a fight, but since China is not exactly next door to the USA, and Wash. continues to provoke them at every turn, how much blame can be placed on Wash. if war does start? And, I’m not ‘babbling’. My posts are short and concise, you just don’t like them because they obviously have some merit and truth that tweaks your belief system. And, I’m pro-war? How so?
“And, I’m pro-war? How so?”
You constantly try to justify the warmongering of the regimes whose warmongering you support. If the US does X, it’s a “provocation.” If a regime you support does X, it’s “defense” or a “reaction.” The only warmongers you hold responsible for their actions are US and Israeli warmongers. The others all get a hall pass.
You have to go back again to analyze the provocations before the fight begins, don’t you?
We had the discussion before about Chinese being different than the West. In this case, it will be about ‘losing face’ which is not a Western concept, but very important to the Chinese. Here’s another bunch of links re. that subject: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=chinese+and+losing+face&ia=web
And, I hope you took time to read the other links I gave you re. how Chinese are different. I remember you said they weren’t different than people in the West.
“I remember you said they weren’t different than people in the West.”
I didn’t say anything about what “people” are like (although yes, I do remember that you took something of a racist approach to Chinese people).
I pointed out that regimes are regimes, and they all operate on the same principle: Maintaining and increasing their discretionary power.
I don’t think the Chinese regime will start a war in the near term because I assume the Chinese regime’s shot-callers are smart enough to know that doing so would quickly and massively decrease — maybe even end — their discretionary power.
If the Chinese regime decides to start a war, it will do so when it and if it thinks it can win. Which, at the moment, it’s fairly open about admitting it couldn’t. The PLA Navy simply isn’t there yet. They’re trying to get it there.
My approach wasn’t ‘racist’, because philosophy can be embraced by any human. Chinese have a different philosophy re. existence than the West does, so tell me how a difference in philosophy and ethics that the Chinese have is ‘racist.’ Peace! Oh yeah, check this out. I’ll bet the Marine Corps. is not far behind. Shows why there may be a problem with recruitment when they are appealing to a fraction of a percent of the entire US population. Can’t make this up. No wonder Mad Magazine stopped publishing when reality can’t be parodied or satirized any longer. I believe the Cosmic Joker has been loosed upon the USA and the world. Becket and Ionesco must be writing the script? LINK: https://nypost.com/2023/05/03/us-navy-appointed-active-duty-drag-queen-as-ambassador/
“Chinese have a different philosophy re. existence than the West does, so tell me how a difference in philosophy and ethics that the Chinese have is ‘racist.'”
The idea that a particular philosophy is intrinsic to, or universal among, a particular ethnic group is a racist claim.
I personally know persons of ethnic Chinese descent who hold widely different philosophies, not just whatever caricature you have in mind.