A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade under the PLA Air Force soars into the sky for an air combat training exercise on March 19, 2022, eng.chinamil. com.cn Photo by Cui Baoliang The Chinese People's Liberation Army PLA Eastern Theater Command announced on Wednesday that its forces shadowed a US destroyer on Tuesday when the latter made a transit through the Taiwan Straits, slamming the US move as a provocation that has sabotaged peace and stability in the region. The PLA operation displayed full control over the situation in the Taiwan Straits as well as its ability and determination to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to analysts. The USS Sampson guided missile destroyer made a transit through the Taiwan Straits and publicly hyped the event. Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesman, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the PLA Eastern Theater Command organized forces to track and monitor the US warship throughout its entire course on high alert. A Beijing-based military expert told the Global Times on Wednesday that the PLA likely sent both air and naval forces for the mission, and had the whole situation under control. Two PLA J-16 fighter jets entered the island of Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone on Tuesday, the defense authority on the island said in a press release on the day. According to a press release from Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint StaffDefense Joint Staff on Tuesday, the Type 054 A guided missile frigate Zhoushan and the Type 071 amphibious landing ship Yimengshan made a transit through the Miyako Strait from its southeast to its northwest. On Tuesday, observers said that PLA warplanes and warships were operating in both the southwest and northeast of the Taiwan Straits. Repeated US provocations like this send wrong signals to Taiwan independence secessionist forces, intentionally sabotage peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, and the theater command strongly opposes such actions, Shi said. Shi said the troops are on high alert all the time to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The PLA has conducted similar missions on a monthly basis to track and monitor them every time, so they don't have any chance to make any dangerous moves, the expert said. Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference Wednesday that the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests, and China will not allow and resolutely opposes any external interference. Wei stressed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and will have a disruptive impact on China-US relations if the Taiwan question is not handled well during the phone call by Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin a week ago. Wei said that the Chinese military will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. If the US military does not support Taiwan independence as US President Joe Biden has pledged, the US military should stop sending vessels or aircraft through the Taiwan Straits if the US is going to implement the important consensus reached by China and the US top leaders on March 18 as Austin's promise to Wei, experts said.