MANILA, Aug 12 (Bernama-dpa) -- The Philippines announced plans to formally protest against China's recent manoeuvres in the disputed South China Sea, reported German news agency dpa.
The protest follows an incident last Thursday in which two Chinese aircraft reportedly endangered a routine Philippine air patrol near Scarborough Shoal, known locally as Bajo De Masinloc.
According to the Philippine military, one of the Chinese aircraft fired flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force NC-212i plane during the patrol.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters the Philippines was preparing to file a protest for the latest manoeuvre.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr "strongly condemned" the incident, saying the actions of the Chinese aircraft were "unjustified, illegal and reckless."
"We have barely started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace," he added.
The Chinese military said that the Philippine aircraft had entered the airspace over the reef without authorisation "despite repeated warnings." As a result, naval and air forces were sent to track, warn, and finally expel the aircraft from the airspace.
The measures were carried out "professionally and in accordance with the law," the Chinese military added. The Philippine side should "immediately stop provocations and distortion of facts," the statement continued. The Chinese troops on the ground remain on alert.
Scarborough Shoal, also known to the Chinese as Huangyan Dao or Democracy Reef, is 230 kilometres from the Philippines' north-western coast.
--BERNAMA-dpa
