Philippines to Protest China’s ‘Dangerous’ Move in Airspace
(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines said it will protest Chinese air force’s “dangerous” move over the disputed South China Sea, in a fresh escalation of tensions between the two nations.
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“Definitely, we’ll protest this latest move,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo told reporters on Monday on the sidelines of an event attended by defense and military officials in Manila.
Two People’s Liberation Army aircraft made a dangerous maneuver and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force aircraft patrolling over Scarborough Shoal in contested waters on August 8, Manila’s military said over the weekend.
While no Filipino personnel was harmed, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office on Sunday condemned the actions by the Chinese forces as “unjustified, illegal and reckless.”
“The President has come out very strongly on this and we will maintain that position,” Manalo said on Monday.
The incident came at a time when Philippines and China were trying to calm tensions following last month’s talks on the maritime dispute, Manalo noted. “They took us by surprise,” he said.
“China has always said it wanted to de-escalate but every time something like this happens, certainly it tends to raise tensions,” the top diplomat said when asked to comment on China’s sincerity to reduce tensions following the incident. “We have to see if they can really help in maintaining a more stable relationship.”
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the incident is part of a “continuous pattern” of China’s actions as the Philippines asserts its claims in the South China Sea.
“I do not think it’s alarming. It’s a response that we need to be acclimated to,” Teodoro said.
(Updates with more comments from Philippine officials)
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