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MANILA: Philippine and Chinese aircraft exchanged accusations after they met in a disputed area of the South China Sea on Saturday (Aug 10).
The Philippine military strongly condemned the Chinese air force’s “dangerous and provocative behavior,” while the People’s Liberation Army of China said its actions were professional and legal.
This is the first time the Philippines has complained about dangerous actions by Chinese aircraft (rather than navy or coast guard vessels) since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022.
Two Chinese Air Force planes were conducting a routine patrol over Scarborough Shoal on Thursday morning when they took dangerous maneuvers and dropped flares in the flight path of Philippine Air Force planes, the Chinese military said in a statement.
Romeo Brauner, head of the Philippine Armed Forces, said the Chinese aircraft “endangered the lives of our personnel who recently carried out maritime security operations in Philippine waters” and “interfered with legitimate flight operations and violated international aviation safety laws.”
The Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army of China said on Saturday that Philippine aircraft “disregarded China’s repeated warnings and insisted on illegally intruding into the airspace of the Scarborough Shoal,” disrupting China’s training activities.
China’s naval and air forces carry out identification, tracking, warning and expulsion in accordance with the law.
The PLA said: “The on-site operations were professional, in line with regulations, legal and legitimate,” and urged the Philippines to stop what it called infringements and provocations.
Filipino fishermen frequently visit Scarborough Shoal, one of two focal points in the Philippines’ long-running maritime dispute with China. Beijing on Wednesday organized combat patrols near the island, which Manila calls “Bajo de Masinloc,” which China occupied in 2012 and named “Huangyan Island.”
Beijing claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a passage for more than $3 trillion in maritime trade each year, including portions claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
China has rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing’s expansionist claims had no basis in international law.
In May, the Philippines accused Chinese fishermen of damaging the environment of Scarborough Shoal by using cyanide to fish, catching giant clams and other protected species, and destroying coral reefs, but China denied the allegations.
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