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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that challenging China in the South China Sea will only lead to violence, and that he will only do so if Beijing drills for oil in the disputed waters.
“If we go there to assert our jurisdiction, it will be bloody,” Duterte said at a televised briefing late Monday. Hundreds of Chinese ships were spotted on a disputed reef in March.
Duterte said he will only send naval vessels into the disputed waters if China starts drilling for oil. “If they get the oil, that’s when we need to do something about it,” he said.
Philippine defense chief Delfin Lorenzana told Duterte at the meeting that naval ships can patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone, after the president said “nothing will happen” if the nation sends its ships “because we do not own the. sea.”
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Tensions between the two countries have increased in recent weeks. Manila has repeatedly protested against Beijing’s presence and has has deployed more ships in disputed areas, even as Duterte takes a friendly stance and thanks China for supplying coronavirus vaccines. China has said the presence of its ships in the South China Sea is normal and legitimate.
The US has expressed concern about China’s “maritime militia” in the area, which is backing the Philippines – an old military ally. Duterte said on Monday that the US will not come to the aid of the Philippines if the conflict was “ self-caused.
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The Philippine leader said he is “less interested” in the marine resources in the South China Sea. “I’ll give them five Coast Guard ships, and they can hunt them. They can play with each other and see who is faster, ”he said.
The Southeast Asian nation lifted a ban on oil exploration in the South China Sea last year, paving the way for ongoing talks with China, even as the nations have yet to settle their overlapping claims in the area.
Updates with more comments from Duterte from third paragraph