MANILA (2nd UPDATE) -- A People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy helicopter conducted dangerous maneuvers towards a Philippine aircraft during a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal on Tuesday.

According to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PLA Navy helicopter, identified by plane tail number 68, flew dangerously close to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane.

"This reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers during the MDA flight," Tarriela said in a statement.

The PLA Navy helicopter came as close as three meters to the portside (left) of and above the BFAR aircraft.

Tarriela said the incident raises significant concerns regarding the PLA Navy's violation and "blatant disregard for the International Civil Aviation Organization's international aviation regulations."

"The PCG and BFAR remain committed to asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, despite the aggressive and escalatory actions of China," he added.

Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. The shoal, however, has been under China's control since 2012.

China claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety despite an international ruling in 2016 concluding this has no legal basis.

Tarriela told reporters Tuesday's incident was the first time a PLAN helicopter had been used against a Philippine patrol plane in such a manner.

"Less than 10 feet. So that's very dangerous. It can definitely affect the stability of the aircraft," Tarriela told a briefing after the incident.

Asked if the encounter marked an escalation, Tarriela said he believed China was taking a "calibrated approach" to such interactions, while reiterating President Ferdinand Marcos's declaration that the country's mutual defense treaty with the United States could be invoked if a death were to result.

Tian Junli, spokesperson for China's Southern Theater Command and senior colonel of the Air Force, said the Philippine aircraft had "illegally intruded into Chinese airspace over Huangyan Island", using the Chinese name for the shoal.

He said naval and air units were deployed "to track, monitor, warn, and expel the aircraft in accordance with the law and regulations", adding that the "actions of the Philippine side seriously violated China's sovereignty".

The Philippine government plans to issue a formal diplomatic protest over the incident, according to the National Maritime Council.

In a statement, the National Maritime Council also called the PLA Navy helicopter's maneuvers "unprofessional and reckless."

"This blatantly hazardous action endangered the safety of the pilots and passengers onboard. It demonstrated a lack of regard for internationally- accepted norms on good airmanship and flight safety," it added.

READ: PH, US military chiefs discuss modernization, expansion of joint exercises

- Flares, collisions -

The incident comes less than a week after Australia rebuked Beijing for "unsafe" military conduct, accusing a Chinese fighter of releasing flares within 30 meters of a surveillance plane patrolling above the South China Sea.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said at the time the Australian plane had "deliberately intruded into the airspace around China's Xisha Islands", Beijing's name for the Paracel Islands, which Vietnam and Taiwan also claim.

The Scarborough Shoal has been the site of repeated confrontations as Manila has resupplied Filipino fishermen in the area. It lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines' main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass.

In December, the Philippines said the Chinese coast guard used water cannon and "sideswiped" a government fisheries department vessel.

Manila released a video appearing to show a Chinese coast guard ship directing a torrent of water at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya.

Other footage apparently taken from the Philippine ship showed its crew shouting "Collision! Collision!" as the much larger Chinese vessel nears its right-hand side before crashing into it.

Manila and treaty ally Washington have deepened their defense cooperation since Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back against China's claims to the South China Sea.

The Philippines said in December it hoped to acquire the US Typhon missile system as part of a push to secure its maritime interests.

The mid-range missile system, deployed in 2024 for annual joint military exercises, has a range of 300 miles (480 kilometers), although a longer-range version is in development.

China has warned that acquiring the system risks triggering an "arms race". -- with Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News

© Agence France-Presse