The Philippines said Monday it was protesting a maneuver by two Chinese jets in the disputed South China Sea last week, which Manila said posed a threat to a routine air patrol over the area.
According to the Philippine military, a Chinese aircraft fired flares at a Philippine Air Force NC-212i aircraft on Thursday as the aircraft was patrolling over Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo De Masinloc.
Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro told reporters that the Philippines was preparing to file a protest over the latest maneuver, adding: “Of course we cannot let this happen. Even if it is just a diplomatic protest, we cannot not do it because otherwise we will agree to this.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. strongly condemned the incident, calling the actions of the Chinese planes “unjustified, illegal and reckless”.
“We have only just begun to calm the situation and it is already worrying that instability could arise in our airspace,” he added.
According to the Chinese military, the Philippine plane had entered the airspace over the reef without permission, “despite repeated warnings”. As a result, the navy and air force were sent to track the plane, warn it and eventually remove it from the airspace.
The measures were carried out “professionally and in accordance with the law,” the Chinese military added. The Philippine side should “immediately stop provocations and distortion of facts,” the statement continued. Chinese troops on the ground remain on alert.
Scarborough Shoal, also known to the Chinese as Huangyan Dao or Democracy Reef, is located 230 kilometers off the northwest coast of the Philippines.
