China has been condemned for its navy’s “dangerous, unprofessional and reckless” actions, after a helicopter flew within 10ft of a Philippine coastguard plane.

The helicopter swooped towards the Cessna’s left wing over the highly contested Scarborough Shoal, putting the lives of both passengers and pilots in danger, according to the coastguard.

The plane had been flying about 700ft above the water on a mission to observe Chinese vessels around the shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks in the South China Sea which China seized from the Philippines in 2012.

China claims the islands, and the South China Sea almost in its entirety, despite an international ruling in 2016 concluding this had no legal basis.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine coastguard spokesman, said Tuesday’s incident was the first time a Chinese navy helicopter had been used against a Philippine patrol plane in such a manner.