US reaffirms MDT with PH after China’s ‘unsafe’ move over Bajo de Masinloc

The United States reasserted its commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines following the “unsafe and irresponsible actions” of a Chinese military chopper over Bajo de Masinloc.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon (US time), US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce condemned the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China for interfering with the Philippines’ operation in the area.

“We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law,” Bruce said.

“The 1951 United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea,” she added.

Signed by Manila and Washington in 1951, the MDT is a defense pact that unites the two allies to help defend each other from aggression.

EXPLAINER: The PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty

Bruce said that China’s actions are a “threat” to navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

“A Chinese helicopter came within three meters of a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Resources (BFAR) plane conducting routine overflight, endangering the safety of the aircraft and its crew,” she said.

“Reckless Chinese actions such as these are a threat to navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and we will continue to support our allies and partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” she added.

She noted that before the incident in Bajo de Masinloc, China on February 11 also performed “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” against an Australian aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol in the South China Sea.

On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported the PLAN helicopter with tail number 68 approached the BFAR aircraft as close as three meters.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela on Wednesday said this is the “most dangerous” action of the Chinese military so far.

According to him, the Chinese chopper’s maneuver 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.

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.

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.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News