US accuses China of ‘dangerous’ helicopter moves near disputed island

The US has criticised China for conducting what it called “dangerous” helicopter manoeuvres over a disputed island in the South China Sea.

A Chinese navy helicopter flew within 3 meters of a Philippine patrol plane on Tuesday in the airspace about Scarborough Shoal, according to Manila.

The two countries have long had standoffs over the island, which lies off the northwestern Philippines, but tensions in the area have increased in recent years.

MaryKay Carlson, the US ambassador to Manila, rebuked China on Wednesday over its latest actions.

“We condemn the dangerous manoeuvres by a PLA Navy helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission. We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law,” she wrote.

Foreign media representatives on board the Philippine plane said there was a ciltse 30-minute standoff, with the Chinese helicopter hovering near them.

“You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and endangering the lives of our crew and passengers,” the Philippine pilot told the Chinese crew by radio.

In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries, whose plane was involved in the incident, said that it remains “committed to asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, despite the aggressive and escalatory actions of China.”

Using its own name for Scarborough Shoal, the Chinese military claimed the Philippine plane had “illegally entered the airspace of China’s Huangyan Island without the Chinese government’s permission.”

Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Philippines has resumed a close relationship with the US, after his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte had pivoted towards Beijing.

Tuesday’s incident comes a week after Australia accused a Chinese pilot of unsafe manoeuvres over the South China Sea.

The Australian authorities said a Chinese jet had released a flare within 30 metres of its P-8 surveillance plane.

China has warned the US and its allies not to interfere in its ongoing maritime disputes with its neighbours.