Philippine army says Chinese ship took aggressive action

A Chinese ship acted aggressively against a Philippine military plane on patrol over waters claimed by Manila in the disputed South China Sea, a military spokesman said today.

The Chinese vessels flashed powerful lights and radioed the Philippine navy plane to leave the area near one of the islands in the Spratlys chain occupied by Filipinos, Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said. He said the pilots ignored the Chinese ship's actions on Sunday to avoid escalating the confrontation. "This is an aggressive action on the part of the Chinese vessel," Cabunoc said. "They said, 'You're entering Chinese territory, leave.'"  He said the incident happened closed to Subi Reef, which is near Pag-asa Island, also called Thitu Island, which is occupied by Filipinos. "We believe that is our territory. Why should we be driven out?" he said. "We do not want to complicate the situation there in compliance with the government directives to support the peaceful resolution of our territorial disputes."