THE United States yesterday condemned dangerous maneuvers made by a helicopter of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy on Tuesday against an aircraft of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) at the Scarborough Shoal, also called the Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal.
It also asked China to stop its “coercive actions’ in the West Philippine Sea.
The Armed Forces also told the Chinese Navy to stop its aggressive activities in the area while the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) disputed China’s claim that the BFAR plane intruded into its airspace.
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said the Chinese helicopter’s move put at risk the lives of the Filipino pilot, crewmen, and passengers of the BFAR aircraft.
“We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA Navy helicopter… We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law,” Carlson said in a post on her official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Other countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France and Germany, which usually criticize China’s aggressive activities in the South China Sea, have yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
The BFAR’s Cessna aircraft was conducting maritime domain awareness flight over the shoal, about 124 nautical miles from Zambales, when it was subjected to “dangerous flight maneuvers” by a PLA-N helicopter, the PCG said.
It added the helicopter came as close as three meters to the port side or left side and above the BFAR aircraft, posing serious risk to the pilots and passengers of the aircraft, including PCG personnel and photojournalists.
The National Maritime Council on Tuesday night said government will file a diplomatic protest against Beijing over the latest incident, adding that “the blatantly hazardous action endangered the safety of the pilots and passengers on board” the C-208 aircraft of BFAR.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla urged the PLA-Navy “to respect Philippine sovereignty and comply with international law to promote rules-based order and regional peace.”
“The AFP asserts that the People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s (PLA-Navy) illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea must stop,” she also said.
China’s Southern Theater Command, justifying the helicopter’s action, said the Philippine aircraft “intruded” into China’s airspace over Scarborough.
China gained control of the shoal in 2012 after a standoff with Philippine government vessels.
The Southern Theater Command also said Philippines “violated” China’s sovereignty, adding that the Chinese military organized naval and air forces to track, monitor and drive away the plane.
Despite the latest harassment incident, Padilla said, the Armed Forces and maritime agencies, “will continue to conduct lawful maritime operations to safeguard our territorial integrity and protect our people.”
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, dismissed China’s claim the BFAR aircraft intruded China’s airspace and violated China’s sovereignty.
“We have sovereignty over the waters of Bajo de Masinloc. That is actually our territorial airspace… As far as our action is concerned, what we did is legitimate and routine maritime domain awareness flight,” he said.
“It is not illegal, and if you’re going to ask me who is the one carrying out such aggressive and illegal actions, that will only be the People’s Republic of China,” he also said.
Tarriela said the incident was the “most dangerous” flight maneuver conducted by a Chinese helicopter against a Philippine government aircraft.
“This is the closest that China PLA Navy helicopter came close to a Philippine aircraft like what we had yesterday (Tuesday),” said Tarriela. He said such distance can lead to “disaster.”
There were reports that the Chinese also sent radio challenges to a US aircraft during last Tuesday’s incident.
Tarriela could not immediately say if there was indeed a US aircraft in the area at that time.
“It (US aircraft) might be outside or farther away from Bajo de Masinloc,” he said.
Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros called on the country’s allies to help stop China’s s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
“I call on partners in the international community, especially neighbors in the Indo-Pacific, to join the Philippines in pushing back. Our region cannot achieve genuine peace if China continues her aggression,” she said.
She also said China is “provoking trouble by routinely disrespecting international law” as what it did to a Philippine aircraft flying over the country’s territory. – With Raymond Africa
