China chopper maneuvers 'most dangerous' in West PH Sea - PCG

Metro Manila, Philippines – The latest maneuvering of a Chinese military helicopter against a Philippine aircraft was the “most dangerous act” by China so far in the West Philippine Sea, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Feb. 18, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said the Chinese navy helicopter flying just three meters close to a Philippine aircraft represents a "higher escalation" by Beijing.

"This is the most dangerous dahil ginawa nila ito while our personnel together with some of our media friends were actually on board the BFAR aircraft," said Tarriela.

[Translation: This is the most dangerous because they did this while our personnel, along with some of our media friends, were actually on board the BFAR aircraft.]

"In terms of the level of dangerous act na ginawa nila para sa akin ito ang pinaka delikado," he added.

[Translation: In terms of the level of danger, for me, this is the most dangerous they’ve done]

Tarriela said the pilot had difficulty stabilizing the aircraft during the close encounter.

"So the tendency kung meron kang propeller wash yung helicopter which means it pushes down gumilid siya sa left side ng aircraft so ibig sabihin may force siya na pinupush yung left wing ng aircraft so the pilot had a hard time to stabilize the aircraft habang nag-hover siya," he said.

[Translation: So, the tendency is, if you have propeller wash from the helicopter, it pushes down, causing it to tilt to the left side of the aircraft. This means there’s a force to the left wing of the aircraft, and the pilot had a hard time stabilizing the aircraft while hovering.]

The coast guard official also slammed the Chinese military helicopter for deliberately ignoring aviation safety rules and the required distance.

"Konting banggaan lang [A slight collision] with that close proximity can lead to disaster," said Tarriela.

Inherent territory

The Chinese embassy in Manila maintained that it has inherent rights over Scarborough Shoal.

"Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory. Without the approval of the Chinese government, the Philippine aircraft illegally intruded into Chinese airspace," the embassy said in a message to reporters.

It added that Chinese forces will "resolutely safeguard" their national sovereignty and security.

"Our response is necessary, legitimate, and professional," the embassy said.