US Navy flies through Taiwan Strait ahead of Xi-Trump meeting
The latest US operation therefore carries a message beyond the aircraft’s routine patrol role.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement. China’s military tracked and monitored the US aircraft throughout its transit, the state-backed Global Times reported, citing a military source who said the “situation was under control”. “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. Washington is reaffirming its interpretation of international law in a waterway that Beijing considers closely tied to its sovereignty claims. The US does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but maintains close unofficial ties with Taipei and is bound by US law to provide Taiwan with defensive support.
A US Navy aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, putting one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations back in focus just weeks before a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.