TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese fighter jet came within 61 meters of a Philippine Coast Guard plane over the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday.

The Philippine plane, a Cessna Caravan turboprop, was carrying journalists who had tagged along to observe the patrol, including one from Reuters, per the news agency.

Over 20 minutes, a Chinese jet carried out extensive maneuvers around the Cessna, flying above, behind, and beside it, according to a Philippine coast guard spokesperson, quoted by Reuters.

Two Chinese navy ships in the area commanded the Philippine coast guard plane to “leave immediately,” which reporters overheard from the cockpit radio.

The event followed another incident Wednesday in which the Chinese military claimed to have driven away two US Navy ships from within 30 nautical miles (56 km) of the shoal. The Americans responded that the vessels had been conducting lawful freedom of navigation operations.

Earlier in the week, a dramatic collision between two Chinese navy ships near the shoal prompted offers of assistance from the Philippines. The Chinese ignored the offer, refusing to comment on the matter.

Scarborough Shoal, which falls within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, is located about 120 km from the nearest point in that country (Luzon Island) and about 875 km from the nearest point in China (Hainan Island). Since 2012, the shoal has been under the de facto control of Beijing, which has militarized it despite a 2016 international arbitration that ruled in favor of Manila.