Marcos condemns China's 'illegal and reckless' actions

MANILA

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Sunday condemned what he called "illegal and reckless" actions by China's air force last week against a Filipino military plane patrolling over a disputed South China Sea reef.

Two Chinese air force aircraft undertook a "dangerous maneuver" and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine air force turboprop over Scarborough Shoal on Thursday, according to the Philippine military.

Manila said the Chinese actions put the lives of its crew in danger, but that the patrol plane returned safely to base.

The Chinese actions were "unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF [Philippine Air Force] aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace," Marcos said in a statement.

Marcos "strongly condemns" the incident, the statement said, adding it was "worrying that there could be instability in our airspace."

China defended its operations on Saturday, saying it had "organized naval and air forces to lawfully... [drive] away" the Philippine plane, following "repeated warnings."

"We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hype," said a statement from the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, adding that "China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island [Scarborough Shoal] and adjacent waters."