Philippines and China trade accusations over Chinese navy flight actions

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MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine coast guard accused the Chinese navy of performing dangerous flight manoeuvres on Tuesday when it flew close to a government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, an account Beijing disputed.

“This reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers,” the coast guard said in a statement. 

The coast guard said the government fisheries aircraft was conducting what it called a maritime domain awareness flight on Tuesday over the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky atoll and prime fishing patch inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

A People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter flew as close as three metres to the aircraft, which the Philippine coast guard said was a “clear violation and blatant disregard” for aviation regulations.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command said the Philippine aircraft “illegally intruded” into China’s airspace, and accused the Philippines of “spreading false narratives”.

China’s military organised naval and air forces to monitor, warn and drive away the aircraft, the Southern Theatre Command said in its statement, adding that the move by the Philippines “severely violated” China’s sovereignty.

Named after a British ship that was grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, the Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested maritime feature in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China’s expansive claim but Beijing does not recognise the decision. 

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Martin Petty and Kim Coghill)