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The Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army of China said on Saturday that a Philippine Air Force plane “illegally” entered the airspace over a shoal claimed by China, disrupting China’s combat training activities.
The command also dispatched fighter jets and ships to identify, track and drive away Philippine aircraft.
The order warned the Philippines to “cease infringement, provocation, distortion and hype”.
The United States, Australia and Canada have all reported similar operations by Chinese air force aircraft in the South China Sea in the past, and those countries have deployed troops in the South China Sea to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight.
China has expressed anger at military deployments by the United States and its allies in the disputed region, saying they pose a threat to regional security.
Besides China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand have overlapping territorial claims over the busy sea lane, a key route for global trade and security, but hostilities between the Chinese and Philippine coast guards and navies have particularly intensified since last year over Scarborough Shoal and another hotly disputed atoll, Second Thomas Shoal.
Washington has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if its troops, ships and aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
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