After the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers, the Taiwan Strait ushered in "uninvited guests", and in less than 24 hours, the PLA's countermeasures came. The Eastern Theater has made a public statement to demonstrate China's determination. What kind of subtle signal did the US military plane send when it intruded into the Taiwan Strait after the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers? How did the PLA take countermeasures?
On April 17, a US Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait. The US Navy's Seventh Fleet issued a statement on the same day confirming the incident, and claimed that the intrusion of US military aircraft into the Taiwan Strait is "in accordance with international law" and is a manifestation of safeguarding the "freedom of navigation" of all countries in the world, and the purpose of this move is to show the outside world the United States' commitment to the so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific". The statement also clamored that the US side will continue to sail and fly anywhere as permitted by international law.
It is worth noting that the intrusion of the US military plane into the Taiwan Strait occurred just after the phone call between the defense ministers of China and the United States. This makes the US military's actions more targeted and provocative. On the evening of April 16, the defense ministers of China and the United States had a video call, which attracted the attention of the international community. It is reported that this is the second substantive interaction between the defense ministers of China and the United States after a lapse of more than one year, and it is of great significance for the resumption of dialogue and communication mechanisms at the military level of the two countries.
Judging from the press release issued by the Ministry of National Defense, the video call was conducted at the invitation of the US side and at the invitation of the Chinese side. The talks lasted more than an hour and discussed the promotion of stable and positive relations between the two militaries and other issues of common concern. During the phone call, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reiterated that the US side will continue to adhere to the "one-China" principle, but at the same time, he also threatened to reiterate the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait under the guidance of the so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" and other means.
In this regard, the Chinese side has made it clear that the political foundation of China and the United States is the "one-China" principle. The other so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" and so on are completely wrong, illegal and invalid, and constitute gross interference in China's internal affairs.
During the call, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun also made it clear to Austin that China would never allow its core interests to be harmed. He issued a warning to the US side, saying that the Chinese People's Liberation Army will not sit idly by and ignore "Taiwan independence," no matter what form of separatist activities or the connivance and support of external forces. Dong Jun's remarks show China's firm determination to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and if the US insists on sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and connives, cooperates, and supports them in manipulating the "Taiwan independence" issue, it will certainly be strongly countered by the PLA.
It can be seen from this that Dong Jun has clearly conveyed China's position on the Taiwan issue to the US side. However, the US side turned a deaf ear to this and insisted on sending military planes to intrude into the Taiwan Strait, which is undoubtedly a further provocation against China. This move by the US will only bring more uncertainty to the security situation in the Taiwan Strait and further increase the risk of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) countered the "uninvited guests" who intruded into the Taiwan Strait in just 24 hours. On 17 April, Senior Colonel Li Xi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater of Operations, issued a public statement saying that the Eastern Theater had organized fighter planes to follow and monitor US military planes transiting the Taiwan Strait and dealt with them in accordance with laws and regulations. He issued a warning to the United States, saying that the theater troops will always be on high alert and resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.
Senior Colonel Li Xi's remarks have made clear China's determination and sent a clear signal, that is, in the face of all provocative acts that harm China's interests, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has the confidence and ability to meet them. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is always on high alert, and no matter what small moves the United States tries to make in the Taiwan Strait, it will never succeed.
The US side should be well aware that the Chinese and US defense ministers have just concluded a phone call, and the opportunity for the two sides to resume communication is not easy to come by. If the US side still wants to play the trick of saying one thing and doing another, it will still be difficult for China-US relations to be stable and long-term, and to go deeper and more practical. Only by putting our commitments to China into action can we put China-US relations back on the right track.