A Risky Confrontation in the Sky Tensions escalated once again over the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Chinese military expelled a Philippine aircraft from its airspace. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reported that a C-208 light utility aircraft,

The US condemned a Chinese Navy chopper’s dangerous moves near Scarborough Shoal, stressing that the 1951 US-PH defense treaty covers attacks in the South China Sea.

The United States condemned the "dangerous" manoeuvres of a Chinese navy helicopter that endangered the safety of a Philippine government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, its ambassador to Manila said on Wednesday.