Chinese fighter jet ‘dangerously’ intercepts PCG surveillance plane over Bajo de Masinloc

A Chinese fighter jet conducted a dangerous interception of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft during a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) flight over Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).

In an X (formerly Twitter) post on Wednesday, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the Chinese military jet unsafely shadowed the Philippine surveillance plane for more than 20 minutes, maintaining a lateral distance of just 500 feet.

“A significant safety concern arose when the PCG Caravan aircraft was dangerously intercepted by a People's Republic of China (PRC) J-15 fighter aircraft,” Tarriela said.

He added that the Chinese jet was also flying directly overhead at an altitude of only 200 feet, raising serious concerns over flight safety and airspace conduct in the contested area.

“Additionally, the PCG Caravan aircraft encountered five radio challenges from the PLA Navy vessel 553, while another PLA Navy warship, 568, trailed the two US Navy vessels in the area,” he said.

Notably, PLA Navy vessel 164, which was previously involved in a collision incident last Monday, is no longer present in the Bajo de Masinloc area, according to Tarriela.

“The mission objective is for monitoring and ensuring the safety of Filipino fishermen engaged in fishing activities in Bajo de Masinloc,” he pointed out.

Tarriela reiterated the PCG’s commitment to protecting the country’s maritime entitlements and ensuring the safety of all vessels and personnel operating within the region.

Meanwhile, the PCG confirmed the presence of two United States (U.S.) naval ships—DDG-76 USS Higgins and LCS-20 USS Cincinnati—located approximately 102 nautical miles from Zambales.

Tarriela said the US Navy vessels were observed exercising their navigational rights and freedoms in the West Philippine Sea near Bajo de Masinloc, in line with international law.

“This freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) challenges the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China,” he added.