Chinese officials announced that several of its combat aircraft intercepted and monitored a United States P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance plane as it patrolled over the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said fighter jets were dispatched to the area before following the modified Boeing 737 for an undetermined length of time.
The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet confirmed the incident, describing the mission as being conducted in a routine manner in international airspace.
The event comes after two German warships arrived in the contested territory last week, marking the country's first maneuvers in the waterway since 2002.
Beijing regularly challenges the presence of Western military forces in the Taiwan Strait, as the communist regime claims sovereignty over the important shipping corridor and the adjoining island of Taiwan.
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