Philippines, US Decry China’s ‘Dangerous Actions’ After Flare Incidents

The Philippines said the Chinese military fired flares at an Philippine patrol aircraft ‘at a dangerously close distance’ in the South China Sea.

A Chinese service boat scours the seabed as they search for giant clams in the Scarborough Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea, on April 22, 2019. Philippine Coast Guard via AP

The Philippines and the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines on Saturday urged the Chinese regime to stop “provocative and dangerous actions” in the South China Sea following the second mid-air flare incident in a month.

Philippine officials accused the Chinese military of harassing a Philippine fisheries plane and firing flares at the aircraft on Sunday following a similar incident earlier this month.