The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army sent its aircraft to follow and monitor a United States Navy plane that flew through the Taiwan Strait on Friday morning, according to a command spokesman.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi said a P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol plane from the US 7th Fleet transited the Strait and the move was sensationalized by the US side. Warplanes from his command monitored the P-8A during the whole course and stayed on alert, he added.

Over recent days, the US military has frequently used its aircraft and ships to provoke China, a fact that fully proves the US is the saboteur of the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and is also a troublemaker in the region.

The Eastern Theater Command will always be on high alert to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as the peace and stability in the region, said Shi.