Manila, Philippines - Officials in the Philippines' Coast Guard have condemned what they call "dangerous" and "reckless" acts by a Chinese Navy helicopter that came within ten feet of a surveillance flight.

A shocking video released by the Filipino Coast Guard and verified by an AFP photographer who was aboard the flight shows the Chinese helicopter coming dangerously close to the plane.

The helicopter continues highly dangerous maneuvers within a few feet of the surveillance flight, which was carrying a group of journalists over the contested Scarborough Shoal.

The helicopter had been "as close as three meters (around 9.8 feet)" to the fisheries bureau airplane, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

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The plane had been flying about 213 meters (around 700 feet) above the water on a mission to observe Chinese vessels in the area.

"Around 0839 hours, a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-Navy) helicopter ... performed dangerous flight maneuvers towards the BFAR aircraft," the Coast Guard statement said.

"This reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers during the MDA flight."

The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the South China Sea, has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.

In August last year, a Chinese fighter jet interfered with a surveillance aircraft over the same shoal by launching flairs at a dangerously close distance.

One month later, a Chinese Coast Guard ship rammed into a Filipino vessel near another disputed shoal in the region.

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"This reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers during the MDA flight," Filipino Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement regarding the latest incident.

Citing the closeness of the helicopter, Tarriela said the maneuvers constitute a "clear violation and blatant disregard for the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) international aviation regulations."

"The PCG and BFAR remain committed to asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, despite the aggressive and escalatory actions of China."