Tensions Soar as Chinese Navy Helicopter Closes in on Philippine Plane Over South China Sea

An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025.
An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)

Tensions in the South China Sea escalated dramatically on Tuesday when a Chinese navy helicopter came within a mere 3 meters of a Philippine patrol plane in contested airspace over the Scarborough Shoal.

The close encounter forced the Filipino pilot to issue a stark warning over the radio: “You are flying too close, you are very dangerous.”

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by Edwin Shri Bimo

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