China condemns US military flight over Taiwan

Beijing, June 11

China on Thursday condemned the US military for the “provocative” flight of one of its aircraft over Chinese-claimed Taiwan, saying the move infringed upon China’s sovereignty and contravened international law.

China considers democratically ruled Taiwan its own territory and one of its most sensitive diplomatic issues, regularly denouncing the United States for its support of the island.

A US C-40A, a military version of the Boeing 737, entered Taiwan air space with permission, though it did not land at any Taiwan airports, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The US aircraft took off from Japan’s Okinawa island, where there is a major US air base, and flew over northern and western Taiwan on its way to Southeast Asia, Taiwan media reported.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the US aircraft had “harmed our sovereignty, security and development rights, and contravened international law and the basic norms of international relations”. — Reuters