The Philippine Air Force has accused Chinese fighter aircraft of carrying out dangerous maneuvers near one of its patrol planes over Bajo de Masinloc, according to Manila Bulletin. The Armed Forces of the Philippines gave its account of the encounter, which the outlet reported on Tuesday.
China's military offered a different version of the same episode. The PLA Southern Theater Command said it drove a Philippine aircraft out of the airspace around Huangyan Dao, the name Beijing uses for the same feature, in line with Chinese law, according to the Global Times. The two governments have since exchanged accusations over what happened, CNA reported.
The reports place the incident over Bajo de Masinloc, a shoal also known as Scarborough Shoal, which sits in the South China Sea and is claimed by both countries. ABS-CBN reported that Manila accused China of harassing Philippine patrols in the area.
In a separate development, the Philippine Coast Guard said China interfered with a law enforcement operation against dynamite fishing, Philstar.com reported. That account adds to the list of maritime and aerial incidents the Philippines has raised in the disputed waters.
The accounts from Manila and Beijing remain far apart, and no independent verification of either side's description was available in the reporting. Watch for formal statements from the Philippine Department of National Defense and China's Ministry of National Defense, which may clarify the sequence of events and whether the two sides will raise the matter through diplomatic channels.
