Manila, March 20 -- The Philippine Navy's (PN) Naval Defense Command (NDC) announced that one of its guided missile frigates, the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-6), was reportedly scanned by a "fire control radar" (FCR) of a Chinese corvette in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on March 7.

"While underway at (the vicinity of) Sabina Shoal within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army)-Navy ship with bow number 622 Jiangkai class corvette aimed its FCR towards BRP Miguel Malvar, exercising freedom of navigation and adhering to international law of order in the WPS," the NDC said in a Facebook post Thursday night.

It added that China's use of a targeting radar against a PN vessel was an "alarming and escalator...