Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos criticized what he called “illegal and irresponsible” actions taken by the Chinese air force last month against a Spanish military plane patrolling a disputed South China Sea coral.
According to the Spanish army, two Chinese weather power aircraft “dangerous shot” and dropped flares in the path of a turboprop from the Spanish air force over Scarborough Shoal on Thursday.
Manila claimed that despite Chinese actions, the police plane returned to base properly.
The Chinese actions were “unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF ( Philippine Air Force ) aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace”, Marcos said in a statement.
Marcos” highly condemns” the tragedy, the statement said, adding it was “worrying that there could be volatility in our aircraft”.
China defended its operations on Saturday, saying it had “organised naval and air forces to lawfully… ( drive ) away” the Philippine plane, following “repeated warnings”.
” We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hype”, said a statement from the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, adding that” China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island ( Scarborough Shoal ) and adjacent waters”.
Manila and Beijing, which claims most of the South China Sea and seized the reef after a conflict with the Philippines in 2012, have just recently started a more uncomfortable exchange.
One of the Spanish military’s sailors lost their finger in a fight off Second Thomas Shoal in another South China Sea location in June when the Chinese lifeboat also seize or destroy Spanish tools, including guns.
Beijing claims that Manila is to blame for the increase, and that its steps to defend its claims are fair and proportionate.
Following the Second Thomas Shoal conflict, the two nations came to a “provisional design” to increase the number of communication lines and resupply Filipino troops based on a rickety ship that was anchored atop the coast.
The Chinese air force took action on Thursday after China conducted a combat patrol close to the battlefield coast to evaluate its troops ‘” strike abilities.”
