China navy helicopter conducts ‘dangerous’ manoeuvres close to Philippine plane

Footage distributed by the Philippine coast guard shows what it has described as a Chinese navy helicopter performing "dangerous" flight manoeuvres on Tuesday, 18 February, close to a government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

A government fisheries aircraft was conducting a "maritime domain awareness" flight over the Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, the Philippine coast guard said.

They alleged that the People's Liberation Army Navy helicopter flew as close as three metres to the aircraft.

China's Southern Theatre Command said the Philippine plane "intruded" into China's airspace over Scarborough Shoal and "violated" China's sovereignty.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.