China says Philippine plane ‘intruded’ airspace over disputed waters

Beijing has condemned the Philippine government for what it calls "provocative acts" in the disputed South China Sea. On Monday, Beijing accused a Philippine aircraft of violating airspace over Scarborough Shoal. This claim comes despite an international ruling that Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the area has no legal basis.

The incident occurred on Saturday when a Chinese fighter jet interfered with a Cessna 208 turboprop plane used by the Philippine armed forces for a routine military patrol near Scarborough Shoal. The Chinese military's Southern Theater Command stated that the Philippine plane had "illegally intruded into the territorial airspace over China's Huangyan Dao," Beijing's name for the disputed shoal.

In response, China's military spokesman, Zhai Shichen, stated that the Philippines' actions "seriously violate China's sovereignty" and warned Manila to cease "rights violations and provocative acts immediately."

Earlier on Sunday, the Philippine armed forces reported that a Chinese J-16 fighter jet had repeatedly approached and maneuvered near their aircraft in the Spratly Islands, further south in the South China Sea. This confrontation marked the latest in a series of disputes in the region. Two weeks prior, the Philippines accused a China Coast Guard ship of ramming one of its fisheries department boats. Beijing subsequently blamed the Philippine vessel for the incident.