South China Sea: Philippines slams ‘reckless’ actions of Chinese air force over Scarborough Shoal
The Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command countered that the Philippines had disrupted its training, accusing Manila of “illegally intruding” into Chinese airspace.
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.
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History, money and military: why the South China Sea is so important to Beijing
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 dogfights 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 US$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.