The U.S. government has condemned dangerous flight maneuvers conducted by a Chinese military helicopter to intimidate a Philippine government fisheries survey aircraft, the latest in a series of aggressive actions taken by Chinese military forces in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

A Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane on Tuesday in a disputed area of the the South China Sea, as the Filipino pilot warned by radio: “You are flying too close, you are very dangerous.

A Chinese helicopter flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine aircraft over a disputed section of the South China Sea on February 18, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).Footage taken from inside a plane belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources shows a helicopter close to the aircraft.

Footage release by the Philippine coast guard shows a Chinese navy helicopter flying close to a Philippine aircraft patrolling over a disputed area of the South China Sea on Tuesday, 18 February. According to the coast guard,

The U.S. condemned Wednesday "dangerous maneuvers" by China after a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine plane in the South China Sea.