BEIJING—Chinese military tailed a US aircraft passing through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Beijing’s army said, vowing to “resolutely defend national sovereignty.”
“On Sept. 17, a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait,” Li Xi, a senior captain and spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said in a statement.
The Command “organized fighter jets to tail and stand guard against the US aircraft’s flight, dealing with it in accordance with the law,” Li said.
“Theater troops are on constant high alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability.”
Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province and claims jurisdiction over the body of water that separates the island from the Chinese mainland.
China accused Germany on Saturday of heightening security risks in the Taiwan Strait after two military vessels from the country sailed through the waterway.
“I find it absolutely unacceptable.”
Responding to accusations the UN is powerless to curb conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, he blamed member states—particularly the Security Council and its 15 members—for the decisions taken or not taken.
The Security Council as well as international financial institutions are “outdated, are dysfunctional and are unfair,” he said.
“We have been trying to solve the wars, the problem is that we have not the power, sometimes we don’t even have the resources, to be able to do so.”
