China has accused the US of 'disrupting and endangering peace and stability' of the Taiwan Strait on purpose by referring to a recent fly-through conducted by an American maritime plane over the region.
Expressing strong disapproval of the US military's actions, Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theatre Command, in an official statement by the People's Liberation Army, stated that the Chinese military was on high alert.
He also mentioned that the American aircraft operation, that happened on Friday, was heavily monitored by the Chinese Air Force as well as the ground force, as per Reuters.
The announcement comes at a time when tensions between the two nations are already running high, especially when the Taiwan Strait is taken into consideration.
As China has openly declared that the Strait is not international waters, the US has continued to dismiss these claims.
In the light of the same, the Americans have started deploying their warships through the Strait, for two reasons. The first is to maintain their stance of recognizing the waterway as international waters and second to conduct drills as part of freedom of navigation exercises. This has infuriated the Chinese to no end.
"The Taiwan Strait is an international waterway where freedom of navigation and overflight are guaranteed under international law", US State Department spokesman Ned Price had said on June 19, The Straits Times reported.
China on the other hand, has also made it clear that it will "fight to the very end" to stop Taiwan from becoming independent and force will be considered an option if more problems arise.
