PLA decries US-Philippine air drill over South China Sea as tensions escalate
Earlier, Chinese naval vessels attracted Manila’s ire as they crossed Basilan Strait on the way to distant-sea training exercise
“On February 4, the Air Force of the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army conducted a routine patrol in the airspace above Huangyan Island,” PLA spokesman Senior Colonel Li Jianjian said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.
“During this period, the Philippines colluded with extraterritorial countries to organise a so-called joint patrol, deliberately undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea region,” Li said in a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon.
“The theatre air force units have remained on high alert and resolutely safeguarded national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. Any military activities that attempt to disrupt the South China Sea are well under control.”
The Philippine Air Force on Tuesday said it was holding joint patrols with the United States over the South China Sea.
The PLA patrol occurred after Beijing and Manila exchanged barbs over the transit of a Chinese destroyer fleet in the Basilan Strait, which separates the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Basilan. It is believed to be the first time the fleet, led by a Type 055 stealth guided-missile destroyer, has been observed sailing through the 18km (11-mile) strait towards the Sulu Sea.
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