TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A U.S. submarine hunting aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday (April 17), according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet said a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft had "transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace" by "operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law." It said the U.S. “upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.”

The Seventh Fleet said the aircraft's flight "demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific." It added the U.S. military "flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows."

The MND at 1:30 p.m. observed that a U.S. P-8A aircraft flew from north to south through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday morning. It said the Taiwan military monitored the surrounding sea and air space, and the situation remained normal.

At 9 a.m., the MND said that it had tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan from 6 a.m. Tuesday (April 16) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Two of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and two entered the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).