Says China air force action ‘illegal,’ ‘reckless’

BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and VICTOR REYES

PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. “strongly condemned” the recent action of China’s air force at the Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal and Panatag Shoal, Malacañang said yesterday

On Thursday last week, two Chinese multi-role fighter aircraft conducted “dangerous maneuvers” and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force NC-212i plane doing routine maritime patrol over Scarborough Shoal.

On Saturday, AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner said China’s “dangerous and provocative actions” endangered the lives of the PAF aircraft’s pilots and crew.

China gained control of the Scarborough Shoal, about 124 nautical miles from Zambales, after a standoff with Philippine government vessels in 2012. Since then, the Chinese have prevented Filipinos from fishing inside the shoal’s lagoon.

The incident at Scarborough occurred on the last day of a “successful” two-day multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) conducted by the navies of the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and Canada in the West Philippine Sea.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), in a statement issued yesterday, quoted the President as saying said the action of the People’s Liberation Army – Air Force (PLAAF) last August 8 against a PAF aircraft was “unjustified, illegal and reckless.”

“I strongly condemn the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc… and stands by our brave men and women of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), especially the Philippine Air Force,” the President said.

“The actions of the People’s Liberation Army — Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft were unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace,” he added.

Marcos urged China to act responsibly both in the seas and in the skies.

“We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace,” Marcos said in a statement posted by the PCO on the social media platform X.

“However, we strongly urge China to demonstrate that it is fully capable of responsible action, both in the seas and in the skies,” he said.

The Armed Forces yesterday said the incident will not stop it from conducting maritime patrols in the entire West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.

In a radio interview, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the military will continue conducting similar maritime patrols over the contested area despite the China’s “intimidation.”

“Following this incident, we reaffirm our commitment to continue exercising our rights in that area, in accordance with international law,” she said.

Padilla said military aircraft will continue to fly over the West Philippine Sea “to show that our airspace and seas have no room for such bullying.”

China has also harassed Philippine government and civilian vessels in the West Philippine Sea, including near the Philippine-held Ayungin Shoal, over the past years.

“This is the very reason why we conduct joint maritime exercises, multilateral exercises.

We want to preserve freedom of navigation and overflight in those areas (in the West Philippine Sea),” said Padilla.

The MMCA last week was the third to be held in the West Philippine Sea this year. The two others were conducted in April (involving the Philippines, US, Japan and Australia) and the other in June (involving Philippines, US, Japan and Canada).

Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada yesterday urged the Chinese government to “immediately stop” its “clear act of aggression and adhere to international law.”

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Estrada, chair of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, said China’s latest action is “unacceptable” as it put the lives of the Air Force personnel in grave danger.

“They must be met with firm and decisive condemnation from the international community.

We urge the Chinese government to immediately stop this clear act of aggression and adhere to international law. This recent incident is a blatant violation of international aviation safety standards and the rights of all nations to carry out lawful maritime operations,” Estrada said in a statement.

He said China’s action “is an affront to our sovereignty.”

“The Philippines has always advocated for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to territorial disputes with China and this incident undermines our efforts in de-escalating unnecessary tensions,” he said.

“We will not be intimidated. We will continue to defend our sovereignty with resolve and determination while remaining committed to upholding the rule of law and promoting peace in the region,” he added.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Manila and Beijing accused each other on Saturday of disrupting their militaries’ operations around the Scarborough Shoal in the first incident since Marcos took office in 2022 in which the Philippines has complained of dangerous actions by Chinese aircraft, as opposed to navy or coast guard vessels.

The Philippine military on Saturday condemned “dangerous and provocative actions.”

The Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command countered that the Philippines had disrupted its training, accusing Manila of “illegally intruding” into its airspace.

The Scarborough Shoal is one of Asia’s most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights.

Chester Cabalza, president of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said China’s actions were a “show of force” in response to Manila’s participation in multi-nation drills that promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

“After a series of gray zone tactics at sea, we may probably see dog fights up in the sky if China continues its growing antagonism in the Philippines’ air and defense zones,” Cabalza said.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis under international law. — With Raymond Africa and Reuters