An airfield, buildings, and structures are seen on the artificial island built by China in Subi Reef, Spratly Islands, South China Sea, on Oct. 25, 2022. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
The Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese vessels fired three flares toward its patrol plane conducting a routine flight in the disputed South China Sea on Dec. 6, the latest incident in a pattern of aggressive Chinese behaviors aimed at asserting its territorial claims in the region.
Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the South China Sea, said in an X post that the Philippine aircraft took off from a local airport on the morning of Dec. 6 for a maritime domain awareness flight over the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratly Islands.
