A Chinese military aircraft maneuvered in close to a Philippine aircraft near Bajo de Masinloc, which is also known as Scarborough Shoal. The Armed Forces of the Philippines described the incident on Sunday as part of a recurring pattern of unsafe behavior directed at Philippine operations. According to the AFP, the encounter happened on Saturday and involved one of its C-208 aircraft. The Chinese plane made its approach while the Philippine aircraft was operating near the shoal. Manila's military treats such close approaches as a hazard to its crews rather than routine activity in the area. The shoal sits in contested waters, and encounters of this kind have happened often enough that the AFP recognizes a pattern. Details on exactly how close the aircraft came were still limited in the initial announcement.