China fires flares at BFAR patrol plane near Pag-asa Island

Metro Manila, Philippines — Another Philippine aircraft faced harassment as China fired flares at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane patrolling over Zamora Reef near Pag-asa Island.

In a statement on Saturday, Aug. 24, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the BFAR aircraft was conducting a maritime domain awareness flight over Zamora Reef on Thursday, Aug. 22, when China “launched flares from their militarized reclaimed island” in the reef.

Zamora Reef, internationally known as Subi Reef, is within Pag-asa Island. The reef was seized by China in 1998 and has since been transformed into a “fully functional military base.”

“We firmly reiterate our call on the government of the People's Republic of China to immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within Philippine territory and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the right of all vessels and aircraft exercising freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea,” the NTF-WPS said.

The NTF-WPS explained that BFAR’s Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was monitoring and intercepting poachers encroaching on the country’s EEZ and the territorial seas constituting the Kalayaan Island Group.

China “unjustifiably deployed flares from Zamora Reef,” the task force said, adding it was already the second incident of harassment the BFAR plane faced.

According to the NTF-WPS, People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Chinese Fighter Jet 63270 on Aug. 19 “engaged in irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers, deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of approximately 15 meters” from the Philippine utility aircraft.

“The Chinese fighter jet was not provoked, yet its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardized the safety of the personnel onboard the BFAR aircraft,” the NTF-WPS said.

The task force said China’s actions “undermine regional peace and security.”

“The Philippines remains steadfast in exercising its right to strengthen maritime domain awareness within our sovereign territory, national airspace, and EEZ, as well as in the high seas, in accordance with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” it also said.

This was not the first act of intimidation within the country’s airspace under the Marcos administration. 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.

Beijing rejected the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated its sweeping claims over the South China Sea.