The People's Liberation Army monitored a United States warplane that flew over the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, a military spokesman said in a statement.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, said a P-8A anti-submarine patrol plane transited the Strait, and the US publicly hyped the flight.

The PLA sent warplanes to monitor the P-8A during the entire transit and handled the situation in accordance with the law, Shi said.

The spokesman said that the Eastern Theater Command will always remain on high alert to resolutely protect China's sovereignty and security and maintain peace and stability in the region.