The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday, March 21, condemned the dangerous provocation by Chinese forces after flares were fired near one of its aircraft over Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, a militarized atoll in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela said the incident happened during a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over the reef on Friday, March 20.

“This shows the massive scale of the illegal reclamation by the Chinese government on Panganiban Reef, located well within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” he said.

Chinese forces launched flares and issued radio challenges at a PCG Cessna Caravan patrol aircraft during an MDA flight over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

Tarriela called the incident dangerous but China asserted sovereignty over the area during radio communications.

The area has long been a flashpoint in the disputed South China Sea, where overlapping territorial claims persist despite a 2016 international ruling that invalidated China’s nine dash-line claims over the waters.

Panganiban Reef sits about 120 nautical miles from the coast of Palawan, well within the 200 nautical mile EEZ, and more than 600 nautical miles from mainland China.

But China occupied the reef in 1995 when it initially constructed structures under the guise of a fisherman’s shelter.

Over the years, the outpost expanded into one of Beijing’s largest military installations in the South China Sea, complete with facilities that can support air and naval operations.

“It is worth noting that China first illegally occupied Panganiban Reef, initially claiming they were only building a shelter for fishermen. Today, it stands as one of the largest Chinese military installations in the entire South China Sea,” Tarriela noted.

Aside from Manila and Beijing, other claimant countries in the South China Sea include Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

“Whenever our aircraft pass through the area during maritime domain awareness flights, China has the audacity to challenge us claiming that they have ‘indisputable sovereignty’ in this area—and in some instances… they have even launched flares toward our aircraft,” Tarriela added.

During the patrol, the PCG also spotted around 30 Chinese maritime militia vessels near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, while it also flew over Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, where BRP Sierra Madre remains grounded as a Philippine military outpost.

The MDA flight was conducted after the visit of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, the largest of the nine Philippine-occupied features in the WPS.

The incident occurred a few weeks after a Chinese People's Liberation Army - Navy (PLA-N) warship pointed its fire control radar on BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG6) during a maritime and sovereignty patrol within the vicinity of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal last March 7.