Video Shows Chinese Jets Circling US Allies in the South China Sea

The Philippines on Monday released footage it said showed Chinese fighter jets intercepting its aircraft as it patrolled sections of the contested South China Sea over the weekend.

An official clip carried by ABS-CBN News, a Filipino news agency, reportedly showed the pair of Chinese interceptors circling a plane belonging to the Philippine Air Force on Sunday, although the exact details of the Chinese airframe could not be determined.

Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told reporters that the Chinese People's Liberation Army jets spent 15 minutes flying around the Philippines' aircraft, which was able to complete its patrol mission.

The footage attributed to the Philippines armed forces was taken from the cockpit of a Philippine Air Force A-29B Super Tucano, according to Brawner. The Philippines has a fleet of six A-29B, a turboprop light attack aircraft manufactured by Brazilian plane maker Embraer.

The incident took place during air and sea patrols jointly conducted in the western section of the South China Sea by the Philippines and Australia, both U.S. allies. The area is home to contested waters and disputed territories, all of which is claimed by Beijing's so-called dashed line.

Since the summer, China has stepped up assertive maneuvers around Philippine-controlled features in the sea, deploying its coast guard and paramilitary forces to impede Philippine activities within the Southeast Asian nation's exclusive economic zone, in what analysts believe is an attempt to exercise de facto control over more territory and deter the United States and its allies from operating in the region.

The Philippines-Australia patrol, which ended Monday, was the first such cooperation between the two nations and came just days after Philippine and U.S. forces did the same in a pointed move directed at China.

A joint statement signed by the defense ministers from Manila and Canberra said the exercise "highlights our shared commitment to exercising freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international law, in support of a peaceful, secure and stable Indo-Pacific."

1 of 4

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a written response to told Reuters, said China would "definitely have a firm response" if its territorial rights and interests were challenged.

The ministry didn't return Newsweek's written request for comment before publication. Australia's foreign affairs and trade department didn't return a request for comment either.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines has vowed to strengthen security ties with the U.S., Japan and Australia amid escalating tensions with China.

Both the Philippines and Australia have expressed concerns regarding encounters with Chinese maritime and air forces in recent years.

Just last week, Canberra reported injuries to Royal Australian Navy divers assigned its frigate HMAS Toowoomba, alleging that a PLA Navy destroyer activated its powerful sonar at close range while the Australian crew was operating in international waters in the East China Sea.

China's Foreign Ministry reiterated the PLA's adherence to international law and urged "relevant parties" to desist from "making trouble in front of China's doorstep."

Previously in 2022, Australia accused a Chinese fighter jet of releasing chaff that was sucked into the engine of an Australian air force aircraft during an encounter in May over the South China Sea. In February that year, Canberra said a Chinese warship directed a laser at an Australian patrol plane over the Arafura Sea off Australia's north coast.

Similarly, Manila last month accused Chinese vessels of instigating collisions when obstructing a mission to resupply Philippine marines stationed on a contested island in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.