Manila: Last Thursday (August 8, 2024), two Chinese air force aircraft engaged in a “dangerous maneuver” near Scarborough Shoal, dropping flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) turboprop, according to the Philippine military. The incident occurred as the PAF aircraft was conducting a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace. The Philippine military reported that the crew was endangered but the patrol plane returned safely to base.
President Ferdinand Marcos strongly condemned the actions, describing them as “unjustified, illegal, and reckless.” He expressed concern over potential instability in the airspace, emphasizing the routine nature of the Philippine operation.
China defended its actions on Saturday, asserting that its naval and air forces were deployed to “lawfully drive away” the Philippine plane after issuing “repeated warnings”. The Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army stated, “We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement, provocation, distortion, and hype,” claiming that China holds “indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) and adjacent waters.”
Standoff at Scarborough Shoal
The confrontation follows a series of escalating incidents between Manila and Beijing. China claims most of the South China Sea and took control of Scarborough Shoal after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines. In June, a Philippine sailor lost a thumb in a clash near Second Thomas Shoal, another disputed area, where Chinese coastguards also confiscated or destroyed Philippine equipment.
China has attributed the tensions to Manila’s actions and maintains that its measures are legal and proportional. Following the Second Thomas Shoal clash, the two nations agreed to a “provisional arrangement” for resupplying Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at the reef and to enhance communication channels to manage disputes.
The Chinese air force’s provocative action on Thursday came just a day after China conducted a combat patrol near Scarborough Shoal to test its troops’ “strike capabilities”.
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Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines’ Luzon Island and nearly 900 kilometers from China’s Hainan Island.
Despite the recent incident, the Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to patrolling its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants sovereign rights to explore and exploit natural resources beyond a nation’s territorial seas.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines reaffirm our determination to conduct regular surveillance operations in line with international law,” said military spokesperson Francel Padilla in an interview with local radio station DZBB. “We will safeguard our country’s sovereignty and security over our maritime domain,” she added.
