By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The United States on Wednesday condemned China’s dangerous flight maneuver against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane on a patrol over the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.
In a statement on X, US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson called on China to refrain from conducting “coercive actions” in the region.
“We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission. We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law,” she said.
A PLA Navy helicopter, identified by tail number 68, performed dangerous flight maneuvers towards the BFAR aircraft while the latter was conducting a maritime domain awareness flight over the territorial airspace of the feature on Tuesday.
The mission was accompanied by personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and photojournalists.
The PCG said the chopper flew as close as three meters to the port side and above the BFAR aircraft, an action it said was a “clear violation and blatant disregard for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) international aviation regulations”.
The National Maritime Council has asserted that the Philippines has “undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction” over Bajo de Masinloc and that China’s “illegal, coercive and aggressive behavior” will not deter the country from continuing its routine maritime operations over the shoal.
The Philippine government, it said, will issue a formal diplomatic protest on this incident. (PNA)
