Tensions have intensified over the Scarborough Shoal after the Philippines accused the Chinese military of taking “dangerous and provocative actions” in the air.
The Philippine Air Force on Saturday said two Chinese aircraft dropped flares in the path of a Philippine patrol plane on Thursday, endangering the crew.
The Chinese Air Force defended its move, saying it was a “professional” and “justified” response to the Philippines’s incursion.
On Sunday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. responded by saying the actions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) over the disputed territory were “unjustified, illegal, and reckless.”
Scarborough Shoal, also known by its Spanish name Bajo de Masinloc and Chinese name Huangyan Island, is an island in the South China Sea between mainland China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, which all claim sovereignty over the island.
While the pilot and crew of the patrol plane returned safely, AFP said the incident “posed a threat to Philippine Air Force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation.”
AFP said it “strongly condemns the dangerous and provocative actions” of the PLAAF “that endangered the lives of our personnel undertaking maritime security operations recently within Philippine maritime zones.”
Reacting to the accusation on WeChat, the PLA’s Southern Theater Command said China’s sovereignty over the island and the surrounding area is “indisputable” and insisted its actions were “professional, standard, justified, and lawful.”
It said the Philippine aircraft “intruded” Chinese airspace following “repeated warnings,” and accused the plane of disrupting its military excises.
China’s naval and air forces carried out identification, tracking, warning, and expulsion in accordance with the law, it added.
“I strongly condemn the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc earlier this week,” Marcos said, adding that he stands with the AFP and the PAF.
The president said the PLAAF aircraft’s actions were “unjustified, illegal, and reckless, especially as the PAF aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace.”
“We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace,” he said.
“The Philippines will always remain committed to proper diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving disputes. However, we strongly urge China to demonstrate that it is fully capable of responsible action, both in the seas and in the skies.”
The incident occurred as the Philippines and Vietnam, both claimants in a portion of the South China Sea, completed their first-ever joint exercises in Manila Bay on Friday.
The exercises, conducted in the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, featured naval and air assets from the participating nations, which are promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, Manila’s military said in a statement on Friday.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Portions of the strategic waterway, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, as well as fish stocks.
Filipino fishermen frequent the Scarborough Shoal, one of two flashpoints in a longstanding maritime rivalry with China. Beijing on Wednesday organized a combat patrol near the shoal, which China seized in 2012.
China rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis under international law.
The Philippines in May accused Chinese fishermen of destroying the environment at Scarborough by cyanide fishing, harvesting giant clams and other protected creatures, and scarring coral reefs, which China denied.
