BEIJING: China took” countermeasures” against two Philippine military aircraft that flew into its airspace over the South China Sea, the foreign ministry said on Friday ( Aug 23 ).
” On Aug 22, two Philippine military aircraft trespassed into the airspace near the Nansha Islands, including Zhubi Jiao ( Subi Reef ), where China is stationed”, Beijing’s foreign ministry told AFP in a statement.
According to the statement,” the Chinese side took the necessary measures in accordance with the law in order to protect its own independence and safety.”
The foreign government did not specify what types of actions China took, describing the steps as “professional, constrained, and standardised”.
China will continue to steadfastly defend its own sea rights and regional autonomy, and it will continue to oppose all unlawful conduct, it added.
Beijing asserts that nearly the whole South China Sea, despite a ruling from an international tribunal that it has no legal basis for.
In recent months, China and the Philippines have engaged in frequent territorial disputes, including one involving a ship that was grounded by Manila on the disputing Minute Thomas Shoal.
Both nations earlier this week confirmed that coast watch boats had collided in a pre-dawn collision close to the disputed Sabina Shoal, which is located 140 kilometers west of Palawan, and about 1,200 kilometers away from Hainan island, the closest Taiwanese territory, at 140 kilometers.