High-Stakes Encounter: Chinese Helicopter Nearly Hits Philippine Plane Over South China Sea

On Tuesday, a Chinese helicopter came within 10 feet of the Philippine patrol plane in the South China Sea, prompting the pilot to issue a radio warning: “You’re flying too close. You are very dangerous.”

The Chinese helicopter attempted to force the Cessna Caravan Turboprop belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to leave what China claimed was its airspace above the highly contested Scarborough Shoal, off the northwest Philippines.

The Associated Press reporter and invited foreign media were on board the plane at the time of the 30-minute standoff. As the Philippine plane continued its low-altitude surveillance around Scarborough, the Chinese helicopter hovered close to it or flew to its left.

The Philippine pilot radioed the Chinese helicopter at one point: “You’re flying too close. You are dangerous and endangering our crew and passengers. Keep away and keep your aircraft at a distance from us. You are violating safety standards set by FAA/ICAO.”

The pilot was referring to the standard distance required between aircraft by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration as well as the International Civil Aviation Organization to prevent air accidents.

The Philippine plane did not alter its altitude or planned course to avoid a crash.

In a joint statement, the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries stated, “Despite China’s aggressive and escalating behavior, we remain committed to asserting our sovereign rights, maritime jurisdiction, and sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.”

The term used by the Filipinos for this stretch of water in the South China Sea was closer to the western coast of the Philippines.

The Chinese military, using the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal, claimed that the plane “illegally” entered the airspace over China’s Huangyan Island, without permission from the Chinese government.

The Chinese Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track and warn the plane away, Senior Col. Tian Junli, spokesperson for the command, said in a written statement posted online.

In a statement, the Philippines was said to have “confused right from wrong and spread false stories”.

The incident will likely prompt a protest from the Philippine government and marks the latest flashpoint in a longstanding territorial dispute over one of the world’s busiest trade routes, involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.