A Philippine plane warned a Chinese military helicopter over the South China Sea that it was "flying too close," as tension between the U.S. ally and Beijing soars.

The Philippines said a Chinese Navy helicopter carried out “dangerous flight maneuvers” near its own aircraft over the South China Sea. The Chinese aircraft came as close as three meters to a Philippine fisheries bureau chopper flying around Scarborough Shoal on Tuesday morning, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a post on X.

While Russia's war against Ukraine and a wavering transatlantic alliance drew the world's attention at this year's Munich Security Conference, sparks also flew over claims in the Sea as debate involving participants representing Beijing and Manila dug into their positions in the region.