The ongoing conflict between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea continues to escalate. In a recent confrontation, a Chinese Navy missile boat targeted a Philippine patrol aircraft conducting maritime surveillance in the West Philippine Sea with “high-intensity” lasers, putting the aircraft’s crew at risk.
According to a brief report shared by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Philippines and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the incident occurred on Friday (September 27) noon when a BFAR Cessna patrol aircraft was on a mission 74 kilometers (40 nautical miles) west of Palawan, where it encountered a Chinese Coast Guard ship (hull number 21555) and two Type 22 Houbei-class missile boats.
At the time, the Chinese Coast Guard ship and missile boats were chasing two BFAR vessels (BRP Taradipit and BRP Romapenet). When the Chinese side spotted the Philippine patrol aircraft, one of the Chinese Navy missile boats immediately targeted the BFAR aircraft with high-intensity lasers.
The report stated that the Filipino pilot of the patrol aircraft radioed the Chinese vessels to stop the action but received no response. Another Chinese missile boat then fired lasers twice at intervals of about five minutes.
The lasers emitted “high-intensity white light,” causing discomfort to the pilot’s eyes.
The day before this latest stand-off, the Philippine Navy had completed a resupply mission near Ren’ai Reef (Second Thomas Shoal), and nearby Chinese vessels did not obstruct as they had done in the past. In July, Manila and Beijing reached a temporary agreement to ease tensions in the area after months of frequent harassment of Philippine vessels by China.
According to ABS-CBN News, on Saturday afternoon (September 28), another BFAR vessel, BRP Datu Romapenet, conducting a resupply mission near Bombay Shoal off the Palawan mainland, was also chased by a Chinese helicopter that made close contact.
About an hour after the incident, the helicopter reappeared and flew within 20 meters of the BFAR vessel.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, leading to overlapping sovereignty claims with neighboring countries like the Philippines. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s sovereign claims had no legal basis, but Beijing refused to accept the ruling.
Last year, the Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese Coast Guard ship of using “military-grade” lasers to illuminate a Philippine vessel during a resupply mission near Ren’ai Reef, causing temporary blindness to a Filipino crew member.
The Saturday encounters coincided with the Philippines conducting its largest-ever “multilateral maritime cooperation activity” near Scarborough Shoal, with allies such as the United States, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.