AFP chief: Chinese planes ‘endangered’ Philippine Air Force patrol over Bajo de Masinloc

Metro Manila, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Chinese Air Force planes “executed a dangerous maneuver” and “dropped flares” in the path of a Philippine Air Force aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over Bajo de Masinloc on Thursday, Aug. 8.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines strongly condemns the dangerous and provocative actions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) that endangered the lives of our personnel undertaking maritime security operations recently within Philippine maritime zones,” AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement on Saturday, Aug. 10.

“The incident posed a threat to Philippine Air Force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation,” Brawner added.

The incident happened at around 9 a.m. on Thursday when PAF NC-212i aircraft, a light transport plane, conducted a routine maritime patrol over Bajo de Masinloc, or the Scarborough Shoal.

Brawner said the pilots and crew of the PAF aircraft “safely returned” to Clark Air Base at 10 a.m. “All personnel on board were unharmed,” he added.

The incident also occurred when the Philippines conducted a multilateral maritime cooperative activity with Australia, Canada, and the United States from Wednesday to Thursday in the West Philippine Sea.

Brawner also said the joint drills, which featured naval and maritime exercises, “underscores the commitment of our nations to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The atoll is located around 120 nautical miles away from mainland Zambales, and is considered within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Brawner said the AFP reported the maritime patrol incident to the Department of Foreign Affairs and other concerned agencies.

“We reaffirm our commitment to exercise our rights in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the Chicago Convention,” he said in the statement.

The Chicago Convention refers to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. China signed both pacts. However, China rejects the 2016 Arbitral Award which invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea.