Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Eastern Theater Command, said that the Chinese army is now on “high alert” after the United States “deliberately damaged the regional situation and jeopardized peace and stability” in the region. The recent comments are in response to a United States plane flying through the Taiwan Strait.

Becasue of this maneuver by the U.S., the colonel added that the Chinese military was “on high alert to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

According to a report by RT, the P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol and reconnaissance aircraft flew through the strait separating mainland China and the self-governed island of Taiwan on Monday. A Chinese Su-27 took off and monitored the American spy plane along its path.

The US forces in the region acknowledged the maneuver. “The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait,” the 7th Fleet Command said in a statement.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that they knew of the P-8A’s flight in a short official statement on the same day, calling the situation “normal.” –RT

This flyover has likely damaged already strained relations between the U.S. and China. Both are obviously experiencing increased levels of tension due to the “spy balloon” scandal. A Chinese high-altitude balloon crossed over the continental US in late January and early February. Beijing assured it was a weather aircraft veering off course, while the Pentagon claimed it was part of a vast surveillance network of spy airships and shot it down. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his planned trip to China, while Beijing accused Washington of “hysteria” and an “overreaction.”

China has also warned that the U.S. should cease its propaganda campaign over the recent “spy balloon” situation or it’ll face consequences.

China: The U.S. Will Face “Consequences” If Spy Balloon Propaganda Continues

No one actually knows the truth about the “spy balloon” or the other mysterious objects the U.S. military-industrial complex continued to shoot down.

Seymour Hersh Says He Knows What The Government Shot Down Over Alaska

The U.S. does seem to want to aggravate China. The ruling class had to know that flying over the Taiwan Straight would irritate the Communist nation.