"The Philippines has no major external security threats, but has turned itself into a country that undermines regional peace and stability through a militarization carnival," said Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Issues at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.

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.

China’s military said it drove away three Philippines aircraft “illegally” flying over the disputed Spratly Islands, marking the second aerial incident this week involving Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea.