This is the tense moment a Chinese navy helicopter flew dangerously close to a Philippine patrol aircraft flying over disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Footage shows the Chinese chopper hovering just 10ft away from the Filipino plane in the contested Scarborough Shoal, on February 18.

The helicopter was reportedly tailing the plane belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as it was conducting a patrol flight with several journalists and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel onboard.

PCG spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said: 'This is a very dangerous maneouvre. They came as close as three metres, basically 10 feet, from the wing of the plane. You can just imagine the propeller wash pushing down the left side of the plane when it flew over it.

'Filing diplomatic protests is the right thing to do. This is a diplomatic procedure to tell China that we don't agree with their escalatory actions, and dangerous actions that endanger the safety of our BFAR crew and coast guard personnel.'

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.