AFP cites dangerous jet intercept, Chinese ship surge

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday released aerial footage showing a Chinese fighter jet executing dangerous low-altitude maneuvers near a Philippine military patrol plane over Bajo de Masinloc, as military officials reported that Chinese vessel sightings nearly doubled in September.

The military released video footage recorded 3 October from an AFP C-208 aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the shoal, also known internationally as Scarborough Shoal.

The video shows a Chinese J-16 fighter jet repeatedly flying in close proximity to the unarmed propeller-driven Philippine aircraft, crossing directly ahead of its flight path and subjecting it to dangerous wake turbulence.

“Such maneuvers unnecessarily reduce the safe separation and reaction time between aircraft, while turbulence or disrupted airflow from the J-16 may affect the C-208’s flight performance leading to a loss of lift, increasing the risk of an aviation safety incident,” the AFP said in a statement.

Military officials characterized the encounter as part of a recurring pattern of unsafe and coercive behavior targeting Philippine aircraft and vessels operating lawfully within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

The Philippine aircrew maintained course and safely completed its reconnaissance mission before returning to base.

In a related briefing Tuesday, the AFP disclosed a sharp surge in Chinese maritime deployments across key features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, military spokesperson for the WPS, reported that monitoring personnel detected 101 Chinese military and coast guard vessels cruising contested features during September — nearly doubling the 56 ships documented in August.

“We monitored 101 different ships from the China Coast Guard and the PLA Navy across four main features,” Trinidad said during a virtual press conference with the Defense Press Corps, citing that a comprehensive tactical assessment will be issued toward the end of the year.

A breakdown of September tracking data revealed 39 Chinese vessels stationed near Bajo de Masinloc, 28 around Pag-asa Island, 23 at Ayungin Shoal, and 11 surrounding Escoda Shoal.

Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, rejecting a 2016 international arbitral ruling that invalidated its historical claims under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.