A Chinese Navy helicopter intercepted a Philippine civilian maritime domain awareness flight over the South China Sea in what Manila called a “blatantly hazardous action.”
A People’s Liberation Army Navy Z-9 utility helicopter intercepted the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Cessna 208B Grand Caravan during a routine patrol mission over Scarborough Shoal today at 8:39 a.m. local time, according to Philippine officials. A number of Philippine journalists were on board the Cessna during the encounter, which saw the Chinese helicopter fly as close as three meters from the turboprop aircraft. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela described China’s actions as “dangerous flight maneuvers” and blasted the conduct as a disregard to international aviation regulations.
“This reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers during the MDA flight,” said Tarriela.
Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of National Defense said the aircraft entered its “territorial airspace” without permission. The news release blasted Manila’s coverage of the incident, with PLA Air Force Col. Tian Junli of the Southern Theater Command claiming that “the Philippine side spread false narratives by talking black into white.” Beijing also claimed that its forces “expelled” the aircraft in accordance with law and regulation.
The Cessnas of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, a civilian agency responsible for maritime resources and management, have been intercepted by Chinese military aircraft over and near Scarborough in previous incidents. Last August, a Chinese fighter dumped flares in front of a maritime domain awareness flight, which sparked a renewed push for modern fighter procurement in Manila to protect Philippine forces in the South China Sea.
Dubbed by China as Huangyan Dao and the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc, Scarborough Shoal has been disputed by the two countries for decades. Beijing’s Ten Dash Line map puts the South China Sea maritime feature under Chinese jurisdiction despite its location 120 nautical miles off the Philippine island of Luzon and within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. Chinese forces gained de facto control of Scarborough following a 2012 standoff with the Philippines.
Despite the 2016 South China Sea arbitration, in which an international court ruled in favor of Manila and solidified that maritime features were not extensions of a nation’s exclusive economic zone, Beijing still considers the remote shoal its own.
“Huangyan Dao is China’s inherent territory. The Philippines’ attempt to pursue its illegal sovereignty claim with military provocations and mislead the international understanding by hyping up is doomed to fail,” stated the Chinese military release.
The aerial incident follows a week of multilateral activities between the Philippines and its allies in the South China Sea. These drills included back-to-back joint patrols with American, Japanese, Australian and Canadian forces. A U.S. Air Force bomber task force mission composed of two B-1Bs and Philippine Air Force fighter jets drilled off Luzon earlier this month. The Royal Australian Air Force also reported an unsafe interception incident with a People’s Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter over the contested waters last week.
