Manila says it will lodge a diplomatic protest after a Chinese helicopter flew deliberately within 3 metres (10 feet) of a Philippine aircraft.
The United States ambassador to Manila has condemned “dangerous” manoeuvres by a Chinese navy helicopter that threatened the safety of a Philippine government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
In a post on social media on Wednesday, US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson condemned the actions of the Chinese helicopter and called on Beijing “to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law”.
The Philippines said late on Tuesday that it was “deeply disturbed” by the Chinese navy’s “unprofessional and reckless” flight actions and that it would make a diplomatic protest.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that the Chinese helicopter had flown within 3 metres (10 feet) of a surveillance flight carrying a group of journalists.
The plane had been flying about 213 metres (700 feet) above the water on a mission to observe Chinese vessels around the contested Scarborough Shoal when it was intercepted by the naval helicopter.
Journalists and other invited foreign media onboard the plane witnessed the tense 30-minute standoff as the Philippine aircraft pressed on with its low-altitude patrol around Scarborough, with the Chinese navy helicopter hovering close above it or flying to its left in cloudy weather.
The risky moves prompted the Filipino pilot to warn the Chinese pilot by radio: “You are flying too close; you are very dangerous and endangering the lives of our crew and passengers”.
“Keep away and distance your aircraft from us. You are violating the safety standard,” the Philippine pilot said.
WATCH: A Chinese Navy helicopter came as close as 3 meters to a Philippine fisheries bureau plane over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, making dangerous maneuvers and shadowing the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources plane for about 40 minutes. The Inquirer was onboard the BFAR… pic.twitter.com/VcVfs8MpTN
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) February 18, 2025
Philippine media outlet Inquirer.Net said that during the flight, the pilot of the aircraft operated by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources issued at least 19 radio challenges to the Chinese helicopter and Chinese ships in the disputed area.
The media outlet described a dangerous game of “hide-and-seek in the sky” with the helicopter suddenly emerging and manoeuvring to place itself as close as 3 metres (9.8 feet) above the plane – a 12-seater Cessna Caravan.
China has disputed the Philippines’s account, saying on Tuesday that Manila’s aircraft had “illegally intruded” into China’s airspace and accused the Philippines of “spreading false narratives”.
The Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries said in a statement that they remain “committed to asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, despite the aggressive and escalatory actions of China”.
Named after a British ship that was grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, the Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested maritime features in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway that puts Beijing at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam who all have maritime claims in the area.
A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China’s expansive claim but Beijing does not recognise the decision.