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South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China, Philippines in Scarborough Shoal naval encounter ahead of US joint drills
The Chinese navy said it expelled a Philippine warship that 'illegally intruded' into the waters of a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Sunday, hours before the start of Washington and Manila's annual joint military drills. Advertisement The People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said on Sunday night that the BRP Apolinario Mabini, a Jacinto-class patrol vessel in the Philippine Navy, was challenged near Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by Beijing and Manila, earlier that day. The shoal, which is known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, has been in Beijing's actual control since 2012. Command spokesman Senior Colonel Zhao Zhiwei said the Philippine frigate 'illegally entered China's territorial waters of Huangyan Island' without the approval of the Chinese government. '[We] organised forces to track, monitor, warn and expel [the vessel] in accordance with the law … we urge the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement and provocation, or it will bear all the consequences,' he said. Advertisement In response, a Philippine Navy spokesman reiterated Manila's sovereignty claim, telling GMA News that Philippine forces 'have the authority to challenge' any ship within its maritime zones.
South China Morning Post
23-02-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South China Sea: Chinese military says 3 Philippine aircraft expelled from Spratly Islands
China's military said it had expelled three Philippine aircraft from the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, marking the latest in a series of dangerous aerial encounters amid heightened bilateral tensions Advertisement 'On February 20, two Philippine C-208 aircraft and one N-22 aircraft illegally entered the airspace near China's Nansha Islands [China's name for the Spratlys],' said Senior Colonel Tian Junli, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command, on Friday. Tian added that the PLA 'maintained full control of the situation, issued warnings, and drove the aircraft away'. 01:25 Chinese military helicopter and Philippine patrol plane in close encounter over Scarborough Shoal Chinese military helicopter and Philippine patrol plane in close encounter over Scarborough Shoal The C-208 is a modified aircraft equipped for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, while the N-22 is a twin-turboprop, high-wing light utility aircraft. The PLA also released a recording of the warning, delivered in both Chinese and English: 'Philippine military N-22, you are endangering the security of the Chinese reef. Leave immediately and keep far off so as to avoid any misunderstanding.' The Spratly Islands are a vast group of reefs, shoals, atolls and small islets in the South China Sea. Situated around midway between Vietnam and the Philippines, and north of insular Malaysia, they are claimed – wholly or in part – by several countries in the region. Advertisement 'Recently, the Philippine side has disregarded the facts, repeatedly discrediting China's legitimate actions to safeguard its rights,' Tian said, referencing an incident on Tuesday when another 'Philippine C-208 aircraft illegally entered China's airspace over the Scarborough Shoal, repeatedly changing its altitude'.
