South China Sea: Philippine military vows to continue aerial patrols after plane warned off by Chinese vessels near disputed reef

Chinese radio operators challenged the aircraft with local journalists on board ‘at least five times’ as it flew over Calderon Reef, Mischief Reef and Johnson Reef

The Philippines has been carrying out ‘sovereignty patrols’ since some 200 Chinese fishing vessels were spotted near Whitsun Reef, which falls within its exclusive economic zone

Reading Time:4 minutes

Chinese vessels are seen moored at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea on Saturday. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/National Task Force-West Philippine Sea/Handout via Reuters

Published: 6:47pm, 31 Mar 2021Updated: 7:57am, 1 Apr 2021

A Philippine military plane with local journalists on board ignored repeated radio warnings to “stay away” and “leave immediately” on Tuesday as it flew low over contested reefs near where Chinese vessels were moored in the South China Sea.

The incident occurred as hundreds of Chinese vessels believed to be manned by militias in the South China Sea have spread to a wider area, the Philippines said on Wednesday, defying its demand for the flotilla to be withdrawn immediately.

Marine Major General Edgard Arevalo, spokesman for the Philippines’ armed forces, dismissed Tuesday’s warnings that came from Chinese military outposts on occupied artificial reefs in the disputed waterway and said that the military overflights would continue, telling This Week In Asia “We regularly conduct air and naval patrols aside from other relevant measures to ensure maritime situational awareness. And if I may, those challenges have been customary”. “Our reply is likewise customary: ‘this is a Philippine government aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). We are proceeding according to our planned route’,” he said.

Satellite imagery taken on March 23 shows Chinese vessels anchored at Whitsun Reef. Photo: Handout / Satellite image 2021 Maxar Technologies / AFP

Arevalo confirmed that journalists from GMA-7, TV5, Bombo Radyo Philippines and ABS-CBN were on board the military aircraft, after they had “requested to join the scheduled air sovereignty patrol for them to have their own, first hand footage [and sound recordings] of the situation”. While he did not say how often such patrols would be conducted, Arevalo insisted they would continue as it was a constitutional mandate of the armed forces to protect and defend the country’s sovereignty.

Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Saturday announced an increase in “sovereignty patrols” in response to some 200 Chinese fishing vessels massing near Whitsun Reef, which falls within the Philippines’ 200-mile (321-kilometre) EEZ. Lorenzana, who characterised the Chinese vessels as a maritime militia, said earlier that the Philippines’ increased patrols of the area were aimed at protecting the nation’s fishermen and sovereign rights.

In a statement issued last week, the Chinese embassy in Manila rejected descriptions of the 200 or more ships as a militia, saying they were merely fishing vessels taking refuge from rough seas.

The Philippine aircraft that conducted Tuesday’s patrol was “challenged at least five times” as it flew over Calderon Reef, Mischief Reef and Johnson Reef, according to Chiara Zambrano, a veteran ABS-CBN reporter who was on board at the time. She later said on Twitter it had been “both chilling and sobering” to witness first-hand the completed islands that China has built to stake its claim to the disputed waterway.

In an audio recording of one of the challenges, a voice speaking in Mandarin can be heard identifying itself as “Chigua Jiao” – the name China uses for Johnson South Reef – before adding: “You are already close to China’s islands and reefs. To avoid misjudgment, please stay away immediately.”

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x