According to foreign media reports, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait in "international airspace" on August 21. The U.S. Seventh Fleet issued a statement saying this move "demonstrates America's commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific." The statement also noted that the United States conducts operations in the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, to uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight for all nations.
This marks the second time this year that a U.S. military aircraft has flown over the Taiwan Strait. On March 11, the same P-8A model crossed the strait just ahead of former U.S. President Trump’s visit to China, accompanied by identical statements and justifications from the U.S. Seventh Fleet. This latest flight appears aimed at pre-emptively setting obstacles for upcoming diplomatic interactions between China and the United States, deliberately escalating tensions across the strait. Under the guise of "freedom of navigation," it seeks to portray itself as a so-called guardian of the "Indo-Pacific order," while simultaneously forcing its allies and "Taiwan independence" forces into the spotlight—afraid that the world might see how stretched thin its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region truly is.
At regular intervals, U.S. warships or military aircraft cross through the Taiwan Strait or fly overhead. This recurring tactic serves two purposes: first, sending misleading signals to "Taiwan independence" forces on the island, feeding them false hopes that "the U.S. will back them," encouraging the DPP authorities to continue racing down the dangerous path of "independence"; second, intentionally stoking tensions at a moment when Sino-U.S. relations had begun showing signs of easing, using the Taiwan Strait issue to extract maximum leverage from China, hoping to gain more advantages in future economic negotiations and geopolitical competition.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874186697225227/
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