Chinese Paper Publishes “Audio Recording” Of Warning to US Navy P-8 Spy Plane in Taiwan Strait

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

Calling a US P-8 spy plane patrol through the Taiwan strait a “threat to China’s security,” a People’s Republic of China government-backed newspaper has published a bilingual audio recording of a warning to the US aircraft along with instructions to immediately turn around. 

Following comments in Chinese, the published audio recording says “US aircraft, this is the PLA Air Force, you are approaching Chinese territorial (airspace). Please reverse course or you will be intercepted.” 

Listen to the recording HERE 

“A US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft on Thursday transited through the Taiwan Straits, and the PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed combat aircraft to track and monitor it throughout its entire course in accordance with laws and regulations, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said,” as stated in the PRC-backed Global Times.

The Chinese paper did quote a statement from US Seventh Fleet saying the “US is committed to a free and open Pacific.” 

While the Chinese paper published the audio recording, it is not clear if it came from a fighter jet, surveillance plane or ground command center of some kind, and it may be unclear as to whether the P-8 crew actually “heard” the warning. Regardless, Taiwan is 100 miles away from the Chinese mainland coast so there are many miles of international airspace in the Taiwan strait which the US does at times patrol. 

US military aircraft and surface ship regularly conduct security and stability patrols throughout the Pacific, to include areas in the South China Sea, Japan and in and around Taiwan. Pentagon leaders have for many years now said the US will operate where they need to according to international law.