MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard accused Chinese forces on Thursday of directly firing flares at its aircraft while it was patrolling the West Philippine Sea, calling Beijing's actions "provocative," "reckless" and "aggressive".
"By targeting unarmed PCG aircraft with flares, Beijing is not only violating established international aviation safety norms and the spirit of regional peace but is also directly endangering the lives of personnel on board," the PCG said in a statement.
