TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US Navy flew an aircraft through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday (Sept. 17) in what it called a demonstration of "the US' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” 

Per a US 7th Fleet statement, "By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” The US Navy P-8A Poseidon, an anti-submarine warfare aircraft, flew from south to north. 

In response, China scrambled fighter jets to monitor and alert the US aircraft. China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command Spokesperson Li Xi (李熹) called the US military transit a "stunt” meant to provoke China.

The US military transits the Taiwan Strait about once every two months to “exercise the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state.” US allies like the UK and Canada have also made occasional passages.

The previous week, the German navy made a rare transit through the Taiwan Strait. For the first time in 20 years, Germany sent two ships "to stand with its allies to uphold international rules," per a security source.

China likewise admonished the transit: "We firmly oppose provocations and endangering of China's sovereignty and security under the banner of 'freedom of navigation.’”