Chinese Navy Helicopter Buzzes Researchers in Disputed Territory: Footage

China dispatched a military helicopter to intimidate a Philippine research team in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands on Saturday.

Footage released by local media shows the chopper hovering a short distance above the researchers, who were carrying out an environmental survey for the Philippines’ fisheries bureau at a sandbar near the country’s Thitu Island.

Beijing asserts sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea, including the Spratlys, where its claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Thitu Island lies within the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and some 600 miles from the nearest Chinese shore.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter “conducted dangerous low-flying activities and hovered approximately 50 feet over (Sandy) Cay 3 for about 10 minutes,” TV5 reporter Gio Robles quoted the fisheries bureau as saying.

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.

On Thursday, over a dozen Chinese coast guard and Maritime Militia vessels were tracked entering into the disputed waters. Beijing claimed the China Coast Guard had “thwarted” the efforts of Philippine nationals “illegally” occupying the sandbar—a claim refuted by Manila.

Jeffrey Ordaniel, associate professor at Tokyo International University and senior researcher with the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum think tank, told Newsweek that the presence of the helicopter, which appeared to be a Changhe Z-18 or a Changhe Z-8, showed China is pushing the envelope within the U.S. defense treaty ally’s EEZ.

“The use of a military helicopter is another step forward. China is testing the waters here. Unfortunately, absent any meaningful response from the Philippines’ allies and partners, Beijing will simply continue to push the envelope and gradually change the status quo,” he said.

Also on Saturday, a blockading force of Chinese ships intercepted the Philippines’ latest supply convoy to a military outpost on another Spratly Islands feature, Second Thomas Shoal.

The Chinese vessels engaged in unsafe up-close maneuvers and their water cannons reportedly disabled a Philippine boat and injured personnel onboard.

“The United States stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the dangerous actions by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in response. He added that the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty extends to Philippine assets anywhere in the South China Sea.