US condemns China chopper's 'dangerous' moves vs PH aircraft over Bajo de Masinloc

The United States criticized Wednesday the “dangerous” maneuvers of a Chinese military helicopter near a Philippine aircraft over Bajo de Masinloc.

“We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a [People's Liberation Army Navy] helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission,” US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said on X (formerly Twitter).

“We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law. #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,” she added.

We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA 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. #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific

— Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson (@USAmbPH) February 19, 2025

On Tuesday, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the aircraft of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was holding a maritime domain awareness flight around 7 a.m. when the incident happened.

Coast Guard personnel and photojournalists were onboard when a PLAN helicopter with tail number 68 approached at 8:39 a.m., coming as close as three meters to the BFAR aircraft’s port side and above it.

According to Tarriela, the Chinese chopper’s moves posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers. He added that it also violated the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.

‘False narratives’

In a statement, the PLA Southern Theater Command said the Philippines was spreading "false narratives" as regards the incident.

"On February 18, a Philippine C-208 reconnaissance aircraft illegally intruded into China's territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao without permission of the Chinese government. Moreover, the Philippine side spread false narratives by talking black into white," spokesperson Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli said.

On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila slammed Carlson for her accusation against China.

“The US ambassador, disregarding the facts and distorting the truth, has unjustly accused China of its lawful maritime rights protection activities while disseminating misleading narratives,” the Chinese embassy said.

“Any rhetoric or actions that embolden the Philippines to pursue its illegitimate territorial claims through provocations and staged incidents are bound to be in vain,” it added.

The Philippines is set to file a diplomatic protest over the incident.

Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Bajo de Masinloc is also referred to as Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal.

Tensions continue as 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.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. — RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News