Philippines says Chinese flares fired at patrol plane over disputed South China Sea

Key Highlights

• China claims almost the entire South China Sea and regularly warns foreign aircraft it believes are encroaching on what it asserts is its airspace.
• Its forces have in the past used flares from both island outposts and military aircraft to signal that other planes should leave the area. More from World Pressure mounts on ‘reckless’ Hegseth as war-crimes allegations and intel-mishandling claims roil Pentagon Russia launches massive missile and drone barrage on Ukraine as peace talks enter third dayAccording to the Philippine coast guard, which joined the fisheries bureau for the monitoring flight, onboard cameras captured the moment the flares were fired.
• The agencies said the plane was conducting a lawful overflight at the time.“These flights aim to monitor the marine environment, assess the status of fisheries resources and ensure the safety and welfare of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea,” the coast guard said, using the Philippine name for the stretch of the South China Sea that Manila claims. The Philippine patrol plane spotted a Chinese hospital ship, two Chinese coast guard ships and 29 suspected militia ships anchored in the waters off Subi, the Philippine coast guard said. Quick ReadsView AllSouth Africa: 11 killed as gunmen open fire at hostel in PretoriaUS pushes Europe to take over most Nato defence duties by 2027, says reportSubi is one of seven disputed and mostly submerged reefs which China turned more than a decade ago into what are now island bases in the Spratlys, the most hotly disputed region of the South China Sea.
• The artificial islands are protected by a missile system and three of them have military-grade runways, according to U. S.
• and Philippine security officials. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADAside from Subi, the Philippine patrol plane flew near six other disputed islands, reefs and atolls, including Sabina, an uninhabited disputed shoal, where it monitored a Chinese navy ship.