AFP blasts China’s risky air stunts
The incident posed a threat to the Philippine Air Force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction.
(FILES) Two Philippine Air Force FA-50PH aircraft take part in the recently concluded joint Phl-US Maritime Cooperative Activity in the vicinity of Batanes and areas in the West Philippine Sea.
Photo courtesy of the Philippine Air Force (PAF)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday accused China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of executing dangerous maneuvers against a Filipino aircraft during a routine maritime patrol over Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. strongly condemned what he described as “dangerous and provocative actions” by the PLAAF within “Philippine maritime zones.”
China’s maneuvers contravened international law and regulations governing the safety of aviation.
Around 9 a.m. on 8 August, a Philippine Air Force NC-212i aircraft was conducting a routine maritime patrol over Bajo de Masinloc when two PLAAF planes dropped flares in the path of the PAF plane.
Brawner said China’s action “endangered the lives” of the Filipino airmen undertaking maritime security operations.
“The incident posed a threat to the Philippine Air Force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, and contravened international law and regulations governing the safety of aviation,” Brawner said.
Crew safe
The pilots and crew of the NC-212i safely returned to Clark Air Base around 10 a.m. of that day.
Brawner said the personnel on board were unharmed.
He said the AFP had reported the incident to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the relevant government agencies.
“We reaffirm our commitment to exercise our rights in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea) and the Chicago Convention,” Brawner stressed.