A tense aerial standoff occurred on Tuesday in the South China Sea as a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, The Associated Press reports.
The incident highlights escalating tensions in the region, a vital global trade route contested by several nations.
The Philippine aircraft, a Cessna Caravan turbo-prop belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, was conducting a low-altitude patrol around the shoal, which China claims as its territory. The Chinese helicopter attempted to force the Philippine plane out of the area, resulting in a 30-minute confrontation witnessed by invited foreign media onboard the Philippine aircraft.
During the encounter, the Filipino pilot radioed a warning to the Chinese helicopter:
“You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and endangering the lives of our crew and passengers. Keep away and distance your aircraft from us, you are violating the safety standard set by FAA and ICAO.”
The pilot cited safety standards established by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries issued a statement affirming their commitment to asserting Philippine sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine name for the waters closer to its western coast, “despite the aggressive and escalatory actions of China.”
Chinese officials have yet to comment on the incident, but in the past, they have consistently asserted China’s sovereign rights over the Scarborough Shoal and surrounding waters, vowing to protect their territorial interests.
The encounter is expected to draw a formal protest from the Philippine government. It represents the latest flare-up in a decades-long territorial dispute involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guards have intensified over the past two years near Scarborough Shoal and the Second Thomas Shoal, where a grounded Philippine navy ship serves as a territorial outpost, closely monitored by Chinese coast guard, navy, and suspected militia vessels.
China deployed its coast guard, navy, and suspected militia ships to Scarborough Shoal following a tense standoff with Philippine ships in 2012.
The Philippines initiated international arbitration proceedings against China in 2013. In 2016, a United Nations-backed arbitration panel ruled against China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Despite being a signatory to UNCLOS, like the Philippines, China rejected the arbitration process and its outcome, continuing to disregard the ruling.
