Near miss took place over the highly contested Scarborough Shoal, a scene of frequent minor clashes between Manila and Beijing

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 United States condemned the "dangerous" manoeuvres of a Chinese navy helicopter that endangered the safety of a Philippine government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, its ambassador to Manila said on Wednesday.