A Chinese military aircraft pestered a patrol plane carrying members of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) over Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), marking another episode in the ongoing maritime disputes between China and the Philippines.
The incident happened last Saturday, according to a GMA Integrated News report, saying the BFAR aircraft received repeated radio challenges from a Chinese Navy warship despite clearly flying within the WPS airspace, which is under the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Thereafter, a Chinese Harbin Z-9 helicopter began trailing the BFAR plane at an unsafe distance. This prompted the Filipino pilot to respond, warning that its intrusive actions were “endangering the safety of our crew and passengers.”
“We are a Philippine government aircraft performing our mandate to fly and conduct maritime survey over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal within our Exclusive Economic Zone. Be wary of safety and distance your aircraft from our position,” the pilot said, as quoted by GMA News.
The helicopter, however, closed in to a mere six meters from the BFAR plane, escalating the danger. China’s naval and air forces were reportedly operating the said chopper from a warship with a helipad, which was spotted about 25 nautical miles east of the shoal.
The said warship reportedly transmitted another garbled radio challenge, which the BFAR plane answered by asserting its right to patrol the area, citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Panatag Shoal is located 124 nautical miles from Masinloc, Zambales, making it within the 200 nautical mile EEZ of the Philippines. It is way outside Chinese territory since its distance was measured nearly 600 nautical miles away from its nearest landmass in Hainan.
The Philippines constantly invoked its rights to patrol areas within its EEZ, as enshrined in the 2016 international arbitral ruling, which China refused to respect. Beijing has been using its military might to impose its own polices over the vast regional waters.
