China has warned Philippine military planes six times to leave disputed areas of the South China Sea and may be ātesting the watersā to see if it can establish a no-fly zone in the region, senior Philippine military officials said.
“As we were conducting routine maritime air patrols and flying inĀ international airspace, our air force aircraft were challenged overĀ the radio,” Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez told a Senate hearing inĀ Manila onĀ Thursday.
Lopez, commander ofĀ the Philippine Western Command, said the pilots ignored the warnings, replying that they are navigating international space.
While Lopez did not provide a timeframe, another senior Philippine air force official who asked toĀ not be identified told Reuters that the six warnings had come inĀ the pastĀ three months.
That official added that China could be “testing the waters” toĀ see if it can enforce an air exclusion zone aboveĀ the Spratly archipelago ofĀ the South China Sea, where multiple countries have overlapping territorial claims.
Recent satellite images show China has made rapid progress inĀ reclaiming land aroundĀ seven reefs it occupies inĀ the Spratlys, including building what appears toĀ be an airstrip onĀ one ofĀ the artificial islands, Reuters reported.
“The Chinese said our planes were inĀ their military security area,” Vice Admiral Lopez told senators.
In late 2013, China imposed an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), inĀ which aircraft are supposed toĀ identify themselves toĀ Chinese authorities, aboveĀ the East China Sea. The United States and Japan condemned the move.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had every right toĀ set upĀ ADIZs if it so wished. The situation inĀ the South China Sea is stable, she added, and China and Southeast Asian countries want peace there.
“Under these conditions, I think that individuals hyping upĀ an ADIZ, that China possibly wants toĀ set one upĀ in the South China Sea, this obviously has ulterior motives,” she said.
On April 19, a Chinese warship challenged a Philippine air force plane that was approaching Subi Reef, which is part ofĀ the Spratlys. The pilot reported hearing the radio message: “Foreign airplane, you are approaching my military security area, please go away quickly inĀ order toĀ avoid misjudgment.”
Lopez said China had expanded the seven reefs it occupies fromĀ a few thousand square meters toĀ up toĀ 11 hectares (27 acres) inĀ artificial islands, including two areas close toĀ the Philippine-held Thitu Island, Reuters reported.
China has denied accusations its actions are provocative, and even recently accused the Philippines, Vietnam and others ofĀ carrying outĀ illegal building work inĀ the South China Sea.
The US military commander forĀ Asia, Admiral Samuel Locklear, said last month that China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems onĀ its outposts that could be used toĀ enforce an exclusion zone should it move toĀ declare one.
Beijing claims most ofĀ the South China Sea, throughĀ which $5 trillion inĀ ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
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