​China has said that the Philippines supposedly entered into airspace and violated international law that was why it had to fire flares into the path of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane, which President Marcos saw as reckless and illegal.

Lin Jian, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, justified the People's Liberation Army's Air Force's (PLAAF) action against its Filipino counterpart, when it dropped flares over the Scarborough Shoal.

Maintaining China's unilateral and illegal claim over the Scarborough Shoal, Lin said that a Philippine military aircraft twice purportedly "intruded into the adjacent airspace of Huangyan Dao" on Aug. 7 and 8, and in turn "gravely infringed upon China's sovereignty and violated international law and the basic norms governing international relations."

"The Chinese military took necessary and lawful measures in response, and their maneuvers at the scene were professional and consistent with Chinese laws and international law," he said.

Upon learning of the incident, President Marcos immediately hit China for its action, saying it was "unjustified, illegal and reckless."

"We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace," Marcos lamented as the recent agreement between the Philippines and China to pursue efforts to manage tension in the West Philippine Sea turned futile.

For China, the Philippine military plane's presence over Scarborough was a provocation. Meanwhile, the Philippine government already protested Beijing's action.

"Considering that it sent the military aircraft to Huangyan Dao’s airspace during the joint patrol with the US, Australia and Canada in the South China Sea, what the Philippines did with its aircraft was clearly a deliberate provocation," Lin said.

Lin then urged the Philippines to stop its supposed "infringement activities and provocations at Huangyan Dao at once."

"Such wanton acts must stop. China will continue to act resolutely in accordance with the law to firmly safeguard our nation’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," he added.