The United States and Japan called on China over the weekend to deescalate rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) following recent incidents where Chinese fighter jets dangerously maneuvered and shot flares near a Philippine fisheries aircraft.
The situation, which underscored the ongoing dispute over this strategic maritime region, has drawn international concern due to its potential implications for regional stability.
On August 19, a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) was subjected to a “dangerously close” encounter with China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force fighter jet.
The Chinese aircraft reportedly flew within 15 meters of the BFAR plane, repeatedly deploying flares, a move that the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) condemned as a dangerous provocation.
Another incident occurred on August 22, when the same BFAR aircraft, alongside the Philippine Coast Guard, was monitoring illegal poachers near the Kalayaan Island Group. Flares were again launched from a Chinese military base on Zamora Reef (Subi Reef), further escalating the situation.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson expressed her country’s support for the Philippines. She condemned China’s actions, urging to cease provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the stability of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya echoed similar sentiments, urging China to respect international norms and avoid actions that undermine regional security.
Japan, a key regional player, has consistently advocated for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the maintenance of a rules-based order in the WPS or South China Sea (SCS). These incidents, which are part of a series of confrontations this month, intensified concerns over China’s increasingly assertive posture.
Beijing claims most of the strategic waterway and has been involved in tense maritime confrontations with Manila in recent months, sparking fears of armed conflict that could draw in the United States, a Philippine military ally.
US, Japan and the Philippines held top-level talks in recent months after the series of hostilities between Chinese and Philippine ships and vessels in the disputed WPS/SCS.
