On Saturday (August 10), Philippine Armed Forces commander Romeo Brawner Jr. strongly condemned the harassment by the Chinese Air Force of a Philippine aircraft conducting maritime patrol over Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc. Brawner labeled the actions of the Chinese Air Force as dangerous and provocative.
In a statement, Brawner stated, “On August 8, 2024, a Philippine Air Force (PAF) NC-212i aircraft was conducting routine maritime patrol over Bajo de Masinloc when two Chinese Air Force aircraft engaged in dangerous maneuvers around 9 a.m., including dropping flares along the flight path of our NC-212i aircraft.”
Since the assumption of office by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022, this is the first time the Philippines has complained about the dangerous behavior of Chinese aircraft. Previously, the Philippines had consistently condemned the dangerous actions of the Chinese Navy or Coast Guard vessels.
Regarding the latest incident, Brawner emphasized that it “jeopardized the lives of our personnel conducting maritime security operations in the Philippine waters” and added that the Chinese aircraft disrupted legal flight operations, once again violating international laws and regulations regarding aviation safety.
Approximately an hour later, the NC-212i safely returned to Clark Air Base in Pampanga, with no injuries reported.
The Philippine military did not disclose the type of Chinese Air Force aircraft involved.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Reuters.
Filipino fishermen often frequent Scarborough Shoal, which is one of the two contentious areas in the long-standing maritime dispute between the Philippines and China. On Wednesday (August 7), the Chinese military organized a combat patrol near Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea based on its nine-dash line, overlapping with exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, leading to disputes. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea had no legal basis. China, however, has declared that it does not recognize this ruling.
Aside from Scarborough Shoal, another disputed location between the Philippines and China is the Second Thomas Shoal. Chinese Coast Guard vessels have used water cannons and military-grade lasers to prevent Philippine vessels from providing supplies to a World War II-era navy ship that ran aground on Second Thomas Shoal, drawing international condemnation.