By Adrian Portugal
OVER THE SCARBOROUGH SHOAL, South China Sea -A Chinese jet fighter “intercepted” a Philippine aircraft carrying journalists during a patrol flight over the Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, the Manila government said, days after two Chinese vessels collided in the area while allegedly trying to block a Philippine supply mission.
A Reuters journalist aboard the Philippine Coast Guard flight watched as the Chinese fighter closed in on the small Cessna Caravan turboprop. At one point the Chinese fighter came within about 200 feet (61 metres) as it manoeuvred behind, above, and alongside the plane, PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said.
It was the latest sign of the persistent tensions between the two nations in the disputed South China Sea atoll.
“While they were conducting the flight, they have been intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet,” Tarriela told a press conference held afterwards.
The encounter lasted 20 minutes, during which radio demands from one of two Chinese navy ships spotted below ordering the Philippine plane to “leave immediately” could be heard from the cockpit.
The same day, two U.S. warships – littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati and the destroyer USS Higgins – were spotted about 30 nautical miles away from the shoal, Tarriela said.
China’s military claimed it “drove away” the U.S. destroyer after it entered the area without permission, but Washington said its ships were conducting lawful freedom of navigation operations.
Located 200 km (124 miles) off the Philippines and inside its exclusive economic zone, Scarborough Shoal is valued for its rich fishing grounds and sheltered lagoon.
On Monday, the PCG sent three vessels to carry supplies to dozens of Filipino fishermen in the atoll. It said Chinese vessels then intervened to carry out what it called a “hazardous” attempt to prevent the delivery, leading to the first known collision between two Chinese ships in the area.
China has not confirmed if any crew were injured, and ignored Manila’s offer of medical and rescue aid.
Neither China’s defence ministry nor its embassy in Manila has commented on the incident. On Monday, China’s coast guard said it took necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from waters around the shoal.
The United States also condemned Beijing’s “reckless” actions.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea via a U-shaped “nine-dash line,” a claim invalidated by a 2016 arbitration ruling that also found China’s blockade of the Scarborough shoal unlawful.
Sovereignty over the shoal remains unresolved, but China, which rejects the ruling, has maintained a constant presence at the reef since seizing it in 2012, deploying coastguard vessels and “maritime militia”.
At least four Chinese coast guard vessels, and several ships identified by the PCG as “maritime militia,” were visible in the area during Wednesday’s patrol flight.
(Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by David Stanway)
