MANILA/BEIJING: China's coast guard said on Friday it warned and "drove away" a Philippine C-208 aircraft that "illegally" entered the airspace over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
China urges the Philippine side to immediately cease "violations and provocations", the coast guard said, adding that it will continue to strengthen law enforcement in "waters under China's jurisdiction."
The Philippine embassy in Beijing didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
A C-208 light utility plane sent by the Philippines “illegally invaded the airspace of China’s Huangyan Island”, coastguard spokesman Liu Dejun said, using the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.
“The Chinese coastguard closely monitored, warned and drove the aircraft away according to the law,” Liu said.
Scarborough Shoal, known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo De Masinloc in the Philippines, is controlled by Beijing but also claimed by Manila.
The disputed triangular barrier of reefs is over 460 nautical miles from Hainan, the nearest Chinese shore, and about 120 nautical miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon.
It has been a flashpoint between the two countries since last year. - Agencies
