U.S. condemns Chinese maneuvers after brush with Philippine plane

The Philippines, the oldest U.S. treaty ally in Asia, has been strengthening its security ties with the U.S., Japan, Australia and others as it increasingly clashes with China in the South China Sea, a strategically important shipping route that Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

There are a number of territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. But tensions between China and the Philippines have been especially high in the last two years as they spar over the Scarborough Shoal as well as the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines intentionally grounded a navy ship in 1999 to establish a military outpost.

In a call with his Philippine counterpart last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the “ironclad” U.S. commitment to the Philippines, which it is obligated to defend, and said he shared the Philippines’ concern about China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea.

The Philippine plane was carrying personnel from the Philippine coast guard, as well as multiple journalists, officials said.

“You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and it endangers the lives of our crew and passengers,” the video shows the pilot of the Philippine plane telling the Chinese navy helicopter by radio.