The Philippine military said on Saturday it strongly condemns "dangerous and provocative actions" by China's air force at a contested shoal in the South China Sea.
Two People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft executed a dangerous manoeuvre and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the Scarborough shoal on Thursday morning, the military said in a statement.
It "endangered the lives of our personnel undertaking maritime security operations recently within Philippine maritime zones", said Philippines armed forces chief Romeo Brawner, adding that the Chinese aircraft interfered with lawful flight operations and violated international law on aviation safety.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion (AED 11 trillion) of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
China rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that Beijing's expansive claims had no basis under international law.
Russian attack on Ukraine's Odesa region killed two people, injured three
Duterte was 'pivotal' in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say
Powerful winter storm shuts schools, disrupts travel across US Northeast
At least 19 killed in Nepal bus crash
Human rights are under assault, says UN Secretary General
