The People's Liberation Army followed and monitored a United States warplane that flew through 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 act was publicly hyped up by the US side.

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

The spokesman warned that the Eastern Theater Command will always remain on high alert to resolutely protect China's sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the region