Philippines says Chinese J-16 made unsafe intercept of patrol aircraft

A Philippine air force Cessna C-208B Grand Caravan was intercepted over Scarborough Shoal on 3 October by Chinese military aircraft, at least one of them a Shenyang J-16, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.

Two aircraft took part, according to the AFP. The J-16 repeatedly approached and manoeuvred close to the Philippine aircraft, flying ahead of it and around it and positioning itself in its wake. The AFP called the manoeuvres an aviation safety risk.

The Philippine aircrew remained professional and completed the maritime patrol mission without further incident, it said. Manila has condemned the behaviour of the Chinese aircrew.

Scarborough Shoal lies off the west coast of Luzon. No photographic or video evidence of the encounter was released.

The AFP placed the episode within a series of intercepts involving Chinese fighter pilots in recent years. Aircraft flown by Australia, the Philippines and the United States have all been subject to such encounters in international airspace over the South China Sea, it said.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea, and has turned several atolls there into military bases. No base has been built on Scarborough Shoal itself, though China has deployed floating platforms there, a move Manila views with suspicion.