Beijing said on Tuesday it deployed air and naval forces to monitor a US military plane as it flew over politically sensitive waters separating China and Taiwan.
The United States and its allies regularly cross through the 180-kilometre Taiwan Strait, either by ship or aircraft, to reinforce the international status of the waterway, angering Beijing.
China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the body of water separating the two.
To assert its claims, Beijing regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around the island, while opposing transits by military ships and aircraft belonging to the United States and its allies.
鈥楢 US Navy P-8A Poseidon transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace on Nov. 26, 2024 (local time),鈥� the US Navy鈥檚 7th Fleet said in a statement.
鈥楾he aircraft鈥檚 transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States鈥� commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.鈥�
China said it had monitored the aircraft and condemned the flight for being 鈥榦penly hyped鈥�.
鈥楿S remarks distort legal principles, confuse the public and mislead international perception,鈥� said Cao Jun, a senior colonel and spokesman for China鈥檚 Eastern Theatre Air Force, in a statement.
Beijing had 鈥榦rganised naval and air forces to monitor and guard the trajectory of the US aircraft and effectively responded and dealt with it鈥�, Cao added.
During a previous transit by a US P-8A Poseidon in September, the Chinese military tailed the aircraft.
The United States is Taiwan鈥檚 most important security partner, but like most other countries it does not have official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
Taiwan鈥檚 defence ministry said Tuesday that the US P-8A aircraft flew from south to north through the Taiwan Strait in the morning.
The Taiwan military 鈥榝ully monitored the movements in the surrounding sea and airspace, and the situation remained normal,鈥� the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a US lawmaker, who has been critical of China, arrived in Taiwan on Monday for talks with the island鈥檚 senior leaders, Washington鈥檚 de facto embassy in Taipei said.
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley has spoken out against China鈥檚 human rights record, including Beijing鈥檚 treatment of Uighurs in the Xinjiang region and pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Beijing on Tuesday slammed the United States for 鈥渂ullying鈥� after US officials sidelined over two dozen more China-based companies citing concerns over forced labour.
US officials on Friday added 29 entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list, meaning that goods wholly or partially made by these firms will be restricted from entering the United States.