Aerial clashes near South China Sea flashpoints occur ahead of talks between a top Chinese diplomat and US national security adviser.
Manila’s National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported that on Monday, a Chinese fighter jet performed “irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers” as a Philippine fisheries plane conducted a flight near Scarborough Shoal.
China calls the disputed shoal Huangyan Island, while Manila refers to the area as the West Philippine Sea, part of its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
According to the Philippine statement, Chinese aircraft fired flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of about 15 meters from the patrol plane, the South China Morning Post reported.
Chinese aircraft fires flares near Philippine plane over disputed Subi Reef
During the past few days, a Chinese aircraft launched flares near the same Philippine plane close to Subi Reef, an artificial island controlled by Beijing but also claimed by Manila, according to the statement.
China’s foreign ministry said Friday that it took “necessary countermeasures” to protect its sovereignty after two Philippine military planes entered its airspace over Subi Reef, according to Agence France-Presse.
China claims most of the South China Sea, leading to growing tensions with the Philippines over disputed reefs and islands. The tensions have sparked fears of accidents that could lead to military conflict, potentially involving the US, a treaty ally of the Philippines.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will visit China next week to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. They will discuss issues including Taiwan, military dialogue, and South China Sea tensions, according to a senior US official.
On August 8, Manila reported that two Chinese military aircraft performed a “dangerous maneuver” and dropped flares near a Philippine Air Force plane patrolling Scarborough Shoal.
According to Beijing, the aircraft ignored warnings and intruded into Scarborough Shoal, disrupting Chinese military exercises. In response, China sent sea and air personnel to track and warn the Philippine plane.
Scarborough Shoal is 140 km west of Palawan and about 1,200 km from Hainan province.
South China Sea disputes heat up
Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea conflict with those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
Tensions with Manila have sharply increased since April, when the Philippines sent its advanced coastguard ship, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to waters near Sabina Shoal, also known as Xianbin Reef in China and Escoda Shoal in the Philippines.
Manila sent the ship to monitor what it claims are Beijing’s illegal land reclamation activities at the atoll, which Beijing denies. The atoll and the Philippine-held Second Thomas Shoal, known as Renai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, have become new conflict flashpoints.
On Thursday, the Global Times reported that the Philippines is expanding military infrastructure on Thitu Island, which Beijing calls Zhongye Island and views as “illegally occupied.” This area is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, or Nansha Islands in China.
Chinese experts suggest that the Philippines’ infrastructure expansion might be aimed at inviting US and Japanese forces to the island.
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Bojan Stojkovski Bojan Stojkovski is a freelance journalist based in Skopje, North Macedonia, covering foreign policy and technology for more than a decade. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, ZDNet, and Nature.
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