Chinese military chopper tailing BFAR plane ‘unprofessional' —PH Navy

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said the “unsafe maneuvers” of a Chinese military chopper tailing a plane of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) over Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal was uncalled for and unprofessional.

“These are unsafe maneuvers. They are unsafe maneuvers. They are uncalled for, unprofessional,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing.

“We leave it up to the BFAR to issue the appropriate official statement on that. But again actions like this have no place in the aviation industry,” he added.

Trinidad pointed out that flying close to another aircraft may lead to untoward incidents so rules of engagement and international law should be followed to prevent these.

“Not only in the WPS, but civil aviation is full of reports of accidents so the closer you get the greater the potential for any untoward incident which is what we would like to prevent in the entire WPS,” he said.

“Not only for aircraft but even for ships. Hence, the need for all the actions to be within the rules of engagement and international law,” he added.

On Saturday, a Chinese military helicopter flew dangerously close to a BFAR plane over Bajo de Masinloc.

After some radio warnings from a Chinese Navy warship, a Harbin Z-9 helicopter began trailing near the BFAR aircraft at a distance that is considered dangerous. 

This prompted the BFAR plane pilot to issue a radio warning to the Chinese air crew.

Bajo de Masinloc, also called Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying the latter had "no legal basis." China has not recognized the decision. —AOL, GMA Integrated News