MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Saturday called on China to immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within the country's territory and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the right of all vessels and aircraft exercising freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

The National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) made the call a few days after China launched flares from its militarized reclaimed island in Zamora Reef as a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft was passing the area.

The incident transpired while the BFAR aircraft, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, was conducting a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) flight on August 22.

According to the NTF-WPS, BFAR, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), was tasked with monitoring and intercepting poachers encroaching upon the Philippines' EEZ and the territorial seas of the maritime features constituting the Kalayaan Island Group.

"While the BFAR was conducting the routine patrol, the [China] unjustifiably deployed flares from Zamora (Subi) Reef," the task force said.

Zamora Reef is located just 26 kilometers southwest of Pag-asa island.

This same BFAR aircraft also faced harassment from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) on August 19 during another MDA flight near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).

The NTF-WPS said the PLAAF Chinese Fighter Jet 63270 "engaged in irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers, deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of approximately 15 meters from the BFAR Grand Caravan aircraft."

"The Chinese fighter jet was not provoked, yet its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardized the safety of the personnel onboard the BFAR aircraft," it said.

The NTF-WPS said such actions "undermine regional peace and security, and further erode the image of [China] with the international community."

It stressed that the Philippines remained steadfast in exercising its right to strengthen maritime domain awareness within its sovereign territory, national airspace, and EEZ, as well as in the high seas, in accordance with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

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