Metro Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday reported a dangerous aerial maneuver by a Chinese fighter jet that intercepted a surveillance aircraft near Bajo de Masinloc, warning the action risked causing an accident in the already tense West Philippine Sea.
PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said a People’s Liberation Army J-15 fighter flew as close as 500 feet laterally to the PCG Caravan aircraft and repeatedly shifted position during the encounter.“What made it very dangerous is that it had a very inconsistent path,” Tarriela told ‘The Newsmaker.’ “Sometimes it maneuvered on the left side of the aircraft, sometimes on the right, sometimes overhead, sometimes underneath. This kind of maneuvering is very dangerous because it confuses the pilot as to where it is going,” he saidTarriela said the incident lasted more than 20 minutes as the PCG conducted a maritime domain awareness flight to monitor the safety of Filipino fishermen and foreign naval activity in the disputed shoal. “Every time we deploy aircraft or even coast guard vessels, we all need to adhere to existing rules and regulations, particularly those that talk about safety,” he said.The PCG said it has documented the incident and will submit its report to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, which will determine whether to recommend diplomatic action to the Department of Foreign Affairs.China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
