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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the challenge facing China in the South China Sea would only lead to violence, and that he would only do so if Beijing drilled for oil in the disputed waters.
“If we go there to assert our jurisdiction, it will be bloody,” Duterte said late in a televised briefing on Monday. hundreds of Chinese vessels were spotted at a disputed reef in March.
Duterte said he would only send naval ships into the disputed waters if China started drilling for oil. “If they get oil, it’s time for us to respond,” he said.
Philippine Chief of Defense Delfin Lorenzana told Duterte during the meeting that naval ships could patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone, after the president said “nothing will happen” if the nation sends its ships “because we are not in possession of the sea is not. “
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Tensions between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks. Manila has repeatedly Beijing’s presence protested and more vessels deployed in controversial areas, even though Duterte maintains a friendly attitude and thanks China for providing coronavirus vaccines. China has said its vessels in the South China Sea are normal and legal.
The US has Concerned about China’s “maritime militia” in the region, which supports the Philippines – a longtime military ally. Duterte said Monday that the U.S. will not come to the aid of the Philippines if the conflict is “of our own interest.”
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The Philippine leader said he was “not so interested” in marine resources in the South China Sea. ‘I’ll give them five Coast Guard ships, and they can chase them. “They can play with each other and see who is faster,” he said.
The country in Southeast Asia last year lifted a ban on oil exploration in the South China Sea, paving the way for to promote talks with China, even if the nations still have to navigate their overlapping demands in the area.
(Updates with more comments from Duterte from third paragraph)