China “unjustifiably deployed” flares from Zamora Reef while a Philippine aircraft was on patrol to monitor and intercept poachers encroaching on the country’s waters on Aug. 22, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said Saturday.
This happened three days after a Chinese fighter jet “engaged in irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers” on August 19 as a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources plane made a “maritime domain awareness flight” near Scarborough Shoal.
The first incident saw the Chinese jet “deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of approximately 15 meters from the BFAR Grand Caravan aircraft.”
China’s foreign ministry confirmed it undertook unspecified “countermeasures” against two Philippine military aircraft that flew into its airspace over Zamora (Subi) Reef on August 22 but made no mention of the August 19 incident over Scarborough Shoal.
“We firmly reiterate our call on the government of the People’s Republic of China to immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within Philippine territory and EEZ and the right of all vessels and aircraft exercising freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea,” the NTF-WPS said in a statement.
“Such actions undermine regional peace and security, and further erode the image of the PRC with the international community.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the firing of flares was “deeply concerning and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
“Such actions are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative. Deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance is neither professional, restrained nor standardized, contrary to China’s claims. It is irresponsible, a blatant violation of international law, and a direct threat to the safety of our personnel. It could have led to serious harm or even loss of lives,” Estrada said.
Zamora Reef is a feature in the West Philippine Sea that China reclaimed and militarized.
The atoll, situated within the territorial sea of Pag-asa Island, has been declared as a low-tide elevation by the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, which means it does not generate a territorial sea or an EEZ of its own.
The NTF-WPS noted that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jet 63270 “was in no way provoked, yet its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardized the safety of the personnel on board the BFAR aircraft.”
Meanwhile, the task force said the Philippine government would continue conducting maritime domain awareness activities within its sovereign territory, national airspace, and EEZ, as well as on the high seas, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral award.
Beijing claims most of the strategic waterway and has been involved in tense maritime confrontations with Manila in recent months, sparking fears of armed conflict that could draw in the United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines. With AFP
