A Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane over the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, prompting the Filipino pilot to warn by radio that the Chinese aircraft was flying too close and dangerous. The incident occurred during a 30-minute standoff between the two planes.
China claims the Scarborough Shoal as its own airspace, while the Philippines asserts its sovereignty over the area. A Philippine plane with a crew of observers on board witnessed the tense encounter in cloudy weather.
The pilot radioed the Chinese navy helicopter to keep away and maintain distance from the aircraft, citing the standard safety distance set by the US Federal Aviation Administration and International Civil Aviation Organization. However, there was no sign that the Philippine plane altered its path or altitude to avoid a collision.
China’s military described the Philippine plane as having “illegally entered China’s airspace without permission.” The Philippines denied this claim, stating that it remained committed to asserting its sovereignty over the area despite Chinese aggression.
This incident is part of a decades-long territorial standoff in the South China Sea, which involves multiple countries including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guards have spiked in recent years at Scarborough and Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippines has strengthened its security alliances with Western countries to counterbalance China’s military might. The US has pledged to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces come under attack, and China has warned against interfering in what it considers a purely Asian dispute.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/disputed-scarborough-shoal-south-china-sea-4c0f7a2f62fb5ae4bfb9d8bc6bb3695b