A Chinese military aircraft “hovered at an uncomfortable level” above the Spanish fisheries company’s inflatable boats on Friday, according to the Spanish coast guard,” creating dangerous conditions due to the propeller wash.”
The Philippine Coast Guard claimed it and the fisheries company regrettably suspended their study operations and were unable to obtain sand samples from empty sandbars of Thitu as a result of this ongoing harassment and the disregard for safety shown by the Chinese maritime forces.
Despite the “dangerous clashes”, no incidents occurred, the seacoast watch added.
Beijing’s embassy in Manila and the Chinese foreign interests government did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.
Furthermore on Friday, the same day as the event near Thitu, Spanish troops resupplied and rotated without incident forces manning a abandoned military vehicle that was stranded on the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys, according to the foreign affairs office.
In order to assert its position in the area, Manila had purposefully grounded the ship on the coast.
This month, the Spanish government raised the alarm over Chinese coast guard boats patrolling closer to Luzon, the island nation’s key area, and called it Beijing’s “intimidation tactic.”
China refuted the claim, with a spokeswoman for the foreign government stating that the guards were “in accordance with the law.”