A Chinese military helicopter flies close to a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic (BFAR) aircraft above Scarborough shoal on February 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

A Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine patrol plane on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) in a disputed area of the South China Sea, prompting the Filipino pilot to warn by radio: “You are flying too close, you are very dangerous.”

The Chinese helicopter was attempting to force a Cessna Caravan turboprop plane belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources out of what China claims is its airspace over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines.

An Associated Press journalist and other invited foreign media on the plane witnessed the tense 30-minute standoff as the Philippine plane pressed on with its low-altitude patrol around Scarborough with the Chinese navy helicopter hovering close above it or flying to its left in cloudy weather.

“You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and endangering the lives of our crew and passengers,” the Philippine pilot told the Chinese navy helicopter by radio at one point. “Keep away and distance your aircraft from us, you are violating the safety standard set by FAA and ICAO.”

The pilot was referring to the standard distance between aircraft required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization to prevent air disasters.

There was no sign that the Philippine plane had to alter its planned path and altitude to avoid a collision.

The Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries said in a statement that they remain “committed to asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, despite the aggressive and escalatory actions of China.”

They referred to the Philippine name for the stretch of waters in the South China Sea closer to the Philippines’ western coast.

The Chinese military, referring to Scarborough Shoal by its Chinese name, said the plane had “illegally entered the airspace of China’s Huangyan Island without the Chinese government’s permission.”

The Chinese Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track and warn the plane away, Senior Col. Tian Junli, spokesperson for the command, said in a written statement posted online.

The Philippines “confused right and wrong and spread false narratives,” the statement said.

Tuesday’s encounter, which is expected to be protested by the Philippine government, is the latest flashpoint in a decades-long territorial standoff in one of the world’s busiest trade routes, which involves China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan .

Confrontations on the high seas have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guards in the last two years at Scarborough and Second Thomas Shoal, where a grounded Philippine navy ship has served as a military territorial outpost since 1999 but has since been closely surrounded by Chinese coast guard, navy and other ships.

China deployed its naval force around Scarborough after a tense standoff with Philippine ships in 2012.

The following year, the Philippines brought its disputes with China to international arbitration. A 2016 decision by a United Nations-backed arbitration panel invalidated China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea based on the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China, a signatory to the UNCLOS like the Philippines, refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected its outcome and continues to defy it.

Faced by China’s military might, the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has resorted to a shame campaign — embedding Philippine and foreign journalists in its sea and air patrols in a bid to expose Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions.

The Philippines has also been strengthening its security alliances with the United States, Japan, Australian, France, Canada, the European Union and other Western countries to shore up its external defense.

The United States says it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. China has warned the U.S. and its allies not to meddle in what it calls a purely Asian dispute.

In this image taken from handout video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese Coast Guard ship with bow number 5205, right, collides with Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua near the Sabina Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on August 31, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

China accused a Philippines coast guard ship of deliberately colliding with a Chinese vessel Saturday (August 31, 2024) in the latest flareup of tensions over disputed waters and maritime features in the South China Sea.

In a statement posted on social media, Chinese coast guard spokesperson Liu Dejun was quoted as saying that the Philippine ship with hull number 9701 collided with the Chinese ship 5205 just after 12:06 p.m. (04:06 GMT) Saturday.

Also read | China’s Wang Yi warns U.S. official over Philippines support

As the Philippine ship maneuvered, it “deliberately collided” with the Chinese coast guard ship “in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a collision,” Liu was quoted as saying, adding the standard claim that the Chinese ship was operating within regulations, without giving any details.

China is rapidly expanding its military and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea which is crucial to international trade. The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines, whose security the U.S. is treaty-bound to ensure. The longtime territorial disputes also involve other claimants including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

China has rejected a ruling by a U.N.-backed arbitration panel that negated almost all of Beijing’s historically-based claims in the South China Sea.

On Tuesday, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the U.S. military is open to consultations about escorting Philippine ships in the disputed waters amid the spike in hostilities. Adm. Samuel Paparo’s remarks provided a glimpse of the mindset of one of the highest American military commanders outside the U.S. mainland on a prospective operation that would risk putting U.S. Navy ships in direct collisions with those of China.

Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships regularly clash with Philippine vessels during attempts to resupply Filipino sailors stationed in parts of the South China Sea claimed by both countries. As these clashes grow increasingly hostile, resulting in injuries to Filipino sailors and damage to their ships, the Philippine government has faced questions about invoking the treaty alliance with Washington.

The latest incident came days after Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided near Sabina Shoal, a disputed atoll. At least two vessels were reported to be damaged in Monday’s collision but there were no reports of injuries.

Sabina Shoal lies about 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of the Philippine province of Palawan, in the internationally recognized exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

The atoll is near Second Thomas Shoal, another flashpoint where China has hampered the resupply of Philippine forces. Both countries reached an agreement last month to prevent further confrontations at the shoal.

Also Saturday, Japan lodged a formal protest via China’s embassy against what it called an incursion by a Chinese survey ship into its territorial waters, the latest incident fueling unease among Japanese defense officials, already concerned about the growing military cooperation between the Chinese and Russian air forces.

On Monday, Tokyo also protested a Chinese military aircraft briefly entering Japan’s southwestern airspace. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday his country had “no intention” to violate any country’s airspace.

In this image made from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP BAGACAY (MRRV-4410) is water cannoned by Chinese Coast Guards as it tried to approach the waters near Scarborough Shoal locally known as Bajo De Masinloc at the South China Sea on April 30, 2024
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons at two Philippine patrol vessels on April 30 near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing minor damage to one vessel, in the latest flareup in an increasingly tense territorial conflict.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the incident off Scarborough Shoal, one of two hotly disputed areas where confrontations between China and the Philippines have flared on and off since last year.

Also read: South China Sea | Asia’s disputed waters

A Philippine coast guard ship and an accompanying fisheries vessel were patrolling the waters off Scarborough Shoal when four Chinese coast guard ships, backed by six suspected militia ships, executed dangerous blocking maneuvers, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

A Chinese coast guard ship used a water cannon against the fisheries vessel, the BRP Bankaw, and two other Chinese coast guard ships hit the Philippine coast guard ship, the BRP Bagacay, simultaneously from both sides, damaging part of its deck railing and a canopy, Tarriela said.

Chinese officials did not immediately issue any comment. They have repeatedly insisted on China’s sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, a key global trade route, and warned they would defend their territory at any cost.

The Philippine vessels pressed on with their patrol despite the Chinese coast guard’s actions, Tarriela said,

“They were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety,” Tarriela said in a statement. He said the Philippine ships were deployed to distribute fuel and food to Filipino fishermen on the high seas.

The Chinese coast guard has also re-installed a floating barrier across the entrance to the shoal’s vast fishing lagoon, he said. The Philippine coast guard removed a similar barrier in the past to allow Filipinos to fish in the lagoon.

In addition to the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the territorial disputes.

The increasing frequency of the skirmishes between the Philippines and China, which have injured Filipino navy personnel and damaged supply boats in the past, has sparked fears the territorial conflict could degenerate into an armed confrontation that could put China and the United States on a collision course.

The U.S. lays no claims to the South China Sea but has warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, a longtime treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack including in the contested waters.