Philippines protests Chinese air actions over disputed shoal

The Philippines has filed a diplomatic complaint against China after Chinese aircrafts dropped flares in the path of a Philippine air force patrol plane over a contested shoal in the South China Sea.

Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said on Tuesday that a diplomatic protest had been transmitted to Beijing, without giving further details.

What happened during the aerial encounter?

On Thursday, two Chinese jets flew dangerously close and fired a volley of flares in the path of the Philippine military's NC-212i light transport plane, which was conducting a routine patrol over the disputed Scarborough Shoal, according to Manila's military.

"If the flares came into contact with our aircraft, these could have been blown into the propeller or the intake or burned our plane," Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told the media.

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday described the Chinese action as "coercive, aggressive and deceptive."

The actions had no place in the international arena, which is governed by international law, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said at a briefing.

China has disputed this, saying that it acted in a professional and legal manner.

Escalating tensions in the South China Sea

The incident was the first such aerial encounter since tensions between Manila and Beijing flared up over a year ago, with heated rows over contested areas of the South China Sea.

China took control of the Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012.

It has since deployed its coast guard and other vessels that Manila says harass Philippine ships and prevent its fishermen from accessing a fish-rich lagoon there.

dvv/nm (AP, Reuters)