China fighters chase US plane over Taiwan Strait

China’s military said on Wednesday it sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a US Navy patrol aircraft that flew over the sensitive Taiwan Strait, just weeks before Taiwan holds elections. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane, which is also used for antisubmarine missions, flew over the strait in international airspace. “The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” it said in a statement. China’s military described the flight as “public hype,” adding it had sent fighters to monitor and warn the US plane. —Reuters