THIS is the moment the Chinese military threatened a Philippine military aircraft flying over the disputed South China Sea, warning the plane would “bear the responsibility for all the consequences” if it did not leave the area.
The Chinese military warned off a Philippines military aircraft with a vociferous message demanding the plane “immediately” leave the aerospace over the South China Sea.
Bejing has long locked horns with Manila over access to the common sea strip, with China advancing militarisation efforts in the area despite a case from the international tribunal in The Hague ruling it had no historic right to the South China Sea.
Video captured from a BBC crew on board a US Navy plane captured the stark warning from the Chinese military: “Philippine military aircraft, I’m warning you again.
“Leave immediately or you will bear responsibility for all the consequences.”
The BBC report also caught the Chinese military repeatedly calling on the US plane to leave the South China Sea, spurring a firm response from several branches of the US armed forces.
While the crew on board remained unfazed by the warning, reassuring the BBC it was a “routine occurrence” to hear the messages, the US military had forceful words with its Chinese counterparts.
Writing on the force’s verified Twitter account, the US Navy said: “We will sail, fly and operate wherever international law allows.”
The US Indo-Pacific command said the US would not be “warned off” during scheduled operations: “The United States will not be ‘warned off’ from lawful operation in international waters and airspace.”