Philippines says China harassed its forces twice in 24 hours at South China Sea flashpoints

MANILA, Oct 4 — The Philippines has lodged a complaint with China over two incidents of harassment of Filipino government aircraft and boats in the disputed South China Sea within a 24-hour period. On the previous day, a J-16 fighter jet from China approached and maneuvered dangerously close to a Filipino Cessna 208 turboprop conducting a routine military patrol near Scarborough Shoal.

The Chinese jet performed maneuvers in front of and around the Filipino aircraft, positioning itself within its wake, according to a statement from the Philippine armed forces. Despite completing its mission safely, the Philippine military characterized the incident as part of a pattern of unsafe and coercive behavior directed at Philippine government vessels and aircraft engaged in lawful operations. No immediate response was provided by the Chinese government regarding the air incident.

Later, in the Spratly Islands, the Philippine coast guard claimed a second confrontation took place. The coast guard said it deployed small boats to intercept a fishing vessel suspected of using dynamite to catch fish between Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and China-held Subi Reef. In response, two Chinese Coast Guard ships arrived along with a Chinese navy helicopter that circled the Filipino team four times.

One of the Chinese ships shadowed and blocked the Philippine boats, at one point coming within 10 yards of one of them. The Filipinos halted the pursuit for safety reasons and returned to Thitu Island. The coast guard argued that the China Coast Guard had no law enforcement authority in the territorial sea of Thitu Island and that blocking Philippine authorities allowed suspected violators to escape, thereby hindering marine environmental protection.

This incident occurred two weeks after a China Coast Guard ship rammed a Filipino fisheries bureau boat in another part of the Spratlys, an incident China blamed on the Philippine vessel.