Philippines condemns China's actions in South China Sea, terms it as 'illegal and reckless'

Philippines slams China

In a sharp rebuke, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned what he described as "unjustified, illegal, and reckless" actions by the Chinese air force in contested South China Sea waters.

The escalating tensions come amid accusations from both Manila and Beijing of interfering with each other's military operations around Scarborough Shoal. This marks the first major incident since Marcos took office in 2022 involving Chinese aircraft, rather than naval or coast guard vessels.

The Philippine military denounced the "dangerous and provocative actions" after Chinese aircraft dropped flares near a Philippine patrol plane. In response, China's Southern Theatre Command accused the Philippines of "illegally intruding" into its airspace and disrupting its training exercises.

On Sunday, Marcos urged China to act responsibly both in the seas and in the skies.

"We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace," Marcos said in a statement posted by the Presidential Communications Office on the social media platform X.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
The Scarborough Shoal is one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights.

Chester Cabalza, president of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said China's actions were a "show of force" in response to Manila's participation in multi-nation drills that promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

"After a series of gray zone tactics at sea, we may probably see dog fights up in the sky if China continues its growing antagonism in the Philippines' air and defence zones," Cabalza said.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing's expansive claims had no basis under international law.

(Input From Reuters)