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US sends surveillance planes over Taiwan Strait after Chinese war games ‘in show of support for Taipei’

  • Flyover was a message of support for Taipei and a warning to Beijing, according to analyst
  • Two special mission aircraft flew from Okinawa base towards the South China Sea

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Two US MC-130J surveillance planes flew from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa over the Taiwan Strait. Photo: US Special Operations Command

The United States Air Force sent two surveillance planes over the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, following two days of mainland Chinese war games near Taiwan.

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The two MC-130J special mission aircraft flew from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa over the strait on their way to the South China Sea, according to a tweet by aviation tracking site Aircraft Spots.

It came after the People’s Liberation Army conducted naval and air force drills in the area on Sunday and Monday. After the Chinese fighter jets and bombers flew around the self-ruled island on Sunday, Beijing said it was a “necessary action” under the “current security situation across the Taiwan Strait”.

Song Zhongping, a military expert in Hong Kong, said the flyover showed the US military was keeping a close eye on the PLA’s movements over the Taiwan Strait.

“The MC-130J is a strategic surveillance plane with cutting-edge monitoring technology that can closely watch the PLA’s activities in the area,” said Song, a military commentator for Phoenix Television.

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