
Chinese Fighter Jets ‘Orbit’ Philippine Patrol Aircraft, Manila Says
MANILA—Two Chinese fighter jets were monitored “orbiting” a Philippine aircraft participating in patrols with Australia in the South China Sea but did not cause any untoward incident, Manila said on Sunday. China’s foreign ministry said Monday it was “unaware of the circumstances.” The militaries of the Philippines and Australia carried out a second day of sea and air exercises in the Southeast Asian country’s exclusive economic zone, days after Manila held patrols with the United States as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly aggressive Chinese regime. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said the CCP’s claims had no legal basis....
