The United States government reiterated its commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines following what it described as “unsafe and irresponsible actions” by a Chinese military helicopter near Bajo de Masinloc, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal.
In a statement issued Thursday (Philippine time), US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce sharply criticized the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China for obstructing the Philippines’ operations 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 [also called West Philippine 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 foreign aggression.
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.
She noted that February 11, Chinese aircraft also performed “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” against an Australian aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the SCS.
“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.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that a PLAN helicopter with tail number 68 approached a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft as close as three meters.
PCG spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, described this as the “most dangerous” action taken by the Chinese military to date.
He stated that the Chinese helicopter’s maneuver posed a significant risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers and violated International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.
The BFAR Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft had onboard a group of journalists at the time the aerial harassment took place.
Their presence ensured that the potentially deadly encounter was well documented, and video footage of it has since been posted on news websites and social media.
Despite video material indicating otherwise, the PLA Southern Theater Command still accused the Philippines of spreading “false narratives” about 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 Philippine government said it plans to file a diplomatic protest over the incident.
Bajo de Masinloc, located 124 nautical miles [229 kilometers] off Masinloc, Zambales, falling within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In comparison, the shoal is some 947 kilometers away from China’s nearest land mass – Hainan Island.