Analysts say the Philippines needs to carefully calibrate its response to Chinese aggression amid efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities

"The Philippine side has repeatedly gone back on its word and brought in the system to cater to the US side. Such a decision would only place its national security and defense in the hands of others, and lead to geopolitical confrontation and risks of an arms race in the region," Zhang said.

A Chinese naval helicopter flew nearly 10 feet from a Philippine patrol plane on Tuesday over a contested reef in the South China Sea, escalating tensions with Manila and Washington in the airspace over international waterways Beijing claims as its own.

The U.S. condemned what it called “dangerous” Chinese maneuvers over the South China Sea after a close encounter between a Chinese helicopter and a Philippine patrol plane on Tuesday. “We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA Navy helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission,