Two Chinese fighter jets have surrounded a Philippine aircraft that was carrying out a patrol in the South China Sea alongside Australian aircraft , like this Monday from the Commander-in-Chief of the Philippine Air Force, The general Romeo Brawner Jr.
Chinese fighters were flying around A-29B Super Tucano aircraft Philippine for about 15 minutes this Sunday, but the Philippine aircraft carried out its mission without major incident despite the presence of the Chinese aircraft, Brawner explained in statements to Philippine television ABS-CBN.
“They circled several times for about 15 minutes. Our aircraft was able to complete its mission.” “They completed their maritime air patrol without any untoward incidents,” Brawner told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo. Brawner emphasized that incidents of this kind are “not uncommon”: In May, a US military aircraft flying in the same area was also surrounded by Chinese aircraft. Japanese aircraft have had similar experiences.
“It is very clear that we are carrying out legitimate operations because we have the right to patrol our territorial waters and our exclusive economic zone,” he stressed.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and includes a line on its maps that intersects the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Taiwan, which China considers another province under its sovereignty, has also said it does not accept Beijing’s maps. The Permanent Court of Arbitration said in 2016 that the line on Chinese maps had no legal basissomething Beijing continues to reject.
What is a US ship doing in the Paracel Islands?
Now it is US Navy destroyer USS Hopper has sailed through the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands in recent hours, according to the United States Indo-Pacific Command, which described the operation as a way to defend freedom of navigation within the framework of international law. This operation is sensitive because, among other things, the USS Hopper sailed through territory claimed by China. “This freedom of navigation operation defended the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea recognized by international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan and Vietnam,” the Indo Command said in a statement .
China, Vietnam and Taiwan claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands. All three countries require authorization or prior notification before a military or warship undertakes a voyage through their territorial sea. Under customary international law, as expressed in the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the ships of all States – including their warships – enjoy the right to transit these waters.
The United States has challenged the maritime claims of other countries in various parts of the world. Washington believes that the international community must uphold freedom of the seas as a “fundamental right for global security, stability and prosperity.”
With information from Europa Press