A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theatre Command taxis on the runway during a round-the-clock flight training exercise in late June, 2023. Photo: China Military

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) deployed combat aircraft to deal with a US spy plane's transit through the Taiwan Straits on Thursday, which followed large-scale PLA exercises over the past two days that experts said were aimed at safeguarding China's national sovereignty and unity.

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

Command troops are maintaining high vigilance at all times so as to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security as well as peace and stability in the region, Shi said.

The US spy plane's Taiwan Straits transit came after a round of large-scale PLA exercises around the island of Taiwan.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, the defense authority on the island of Taiwan detected 38 PLA aircraft and nine PLA vessels operating near the island, with 32 of the aircraft crossing the "median line" of the Taiwan Straits or entering the island's self-proclaimed southwestern and southeastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ). From Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, 33 PLA aircraft and nine PLA vessels were spotted, with 24 of the aircraft crossing the median line or entering the ADIZ.

Fighter jets, bombers, early warning aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and drones were among the participating PLA aircraft, media on the island reported.

The P-8A's transit of the Taiwan Straits is a targeted move aimed to carry out reconnaissance on the PLA's warships or submarines following the PLA exercise, Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Such a move is a blatant provocation, but under the PLA's close monitoring, it posed no substantial threat, Chinese military expert Zhang Xuefeng told the Global Times on Thursday.

Overseas media including Reuters linked the PLA exercises to the island of Taiwan's upcoming Han Kuang drills as well as the recent NATO summit that criticized China.

Both Song and Zhang said that PLA exercises are routinely scheduled and not related to other events.

The exercises aim to safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Such drills are becoming more combat-oriented and more intensive in order to deter and prepare for interferences from external forces, experts said.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted the PLA Navy flotilla led by the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Guangxi when it broke past the first island chain and entered the West Pacific in late June.

There has been no report on the Type 075's return, so it is possible that the recent PLA exercises around the island of Taiwan featured the amphibious assault ship operating in waters to the east of the island, Song said.