Duterte to discuss sea dispute during China visit
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte might discuss the sea dispute with China and a potential oil exploration in the South China Sea when he visits Beijing later this month, his spokesman said yesterday.
Mr. Duterte, who is set to visit China for the fifth time since becoming president in 2016, might discuss “issues of conflict” with his Chinese counterpart, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told reporters.
“That could be part of the discussion,” he said when asked whether the sea dispute and the joint oil exploration would be part of the talks. The two leaders will discuss issues that affect both countries, he added.
Mr. Duterte in his yearly address to Congress last month promised to defend Philippine rights in the South China Sea “in a peaceful way.” “The West Philippine Sea is ours, there’s no ifs and buts, it is ours,” the tough-talking leader said in his address, referring to the South China Sea, more than 80% of which China claims.
But his government has to temper its territorial claims with realities, noting that an armed conflict with China would only bring “grief and misery.”
Mr. Duterte blamed Benigno S.C. Aquino III, his predecessor, for allegedly giving way to China after a 2012 standoff in Scarborough Shoal that later allowed the regional power to occupy the shoal.
Mr. Panelo said Mr. Duterte would also discuss with Mr. Xi issues on terrorism, illegal drugs and project financing.
Late last month, Mr. Duterte said he wanted regular Philippine Coast Guard patrols near the islands of Batanes province amid China’s land reclamation activities in the South China Sea and ensure Batanes “remains ours.”
He said China is known to have grabbed some lands and the Philippines cannot afford to do the same. “If we steal from China, we might get fired at by missiles,” he said in Filipino.
The Coast Guard on July 25 took delivery of assets meant to upgrade its sea patrol capabilities and response to natural disasters. The assets included 73 rubber boats with outboard motors, 12 rigid-hulled inflatable boats, 90 pickup trucks, seven buses and five ambulances.
China’s neighbors are racing to empower their Coast Guard fleets amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over more than 80 percent of the South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line drawn on a 1940s map.
It has been building artificial islands in the disputed Spratly Islands and setting up installations including several runways.
Mr. Duterte has sought closer investment and trade ties with Beijing, including over resources in the disputed sea, since he became president in June 2016.
His predecessor, Benigno S. Aquino III, sued China before an international arbitration tribunal over its territorial claims, and won. He also strengthened Philippine alliance with the US to try to check China’s expansion in the main waterway.
