Duterte Threatens to Deploy Troops to South China Sea
MANILA (Dispatches) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to deploy military forces to the South China Sea to stop China from claiming natural resources in the contested waters.
Duterte made the remark in a televised address late Monday, while noting that a conflict with China would not end "without any bloodshed” and Manila might not be able to win such a confrontation.
"If we go there to assert our jurisdiction, it will be bloody,” Duterte said. "We can retake it only by force. There is no way we can get back what they call the Philippine Sea without any bloodshed,” he said.
The Philippine president said he was "not so much interested” in confronting China over fishing rights in the disputed waterway.
"I’m not so much interested now in fishing. I don’t think there’s enough fish to quarrel about,” Duterte said.
"But when we start to mine, when we start to get whatever it is in the bowels of the China Sea, our oil, by that time, I will send my grey ships there to stake a claim,” he said, referring to Philippine naval ships.
"If they start drilling oil there, I will tell China, is that part of our agreement? If that is not part of our agreement, I will also drill oil there,” he said. "If they get the oil, that would be the time that we should act on it.”
The latest development comes at a time of heightened tensions over the disputed South China Sea islands between the two countries in the past weeks.
Duterte’s hostile remarks come even though he had tried to seek rapprochement and cooperation with China since coming to power some five years ago.
Earlier this month, the Philippines accused China of scattering "maritime militia” inside the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea.
China has rejected the claim, saying the boats were sheltering from rough seas and no militias were on board.
The United States, which sides with Beijing’s rival claimants in the maritime dispute, routinely sends warships and warplanes to the South China Sea to assert what it calls its "right” to "freedom of navigation,” ratcheting up tensions with China.
Beijing has constantly warned the U.S. against its military activities in the sea, saying that potential close military encounters by the air and naval forces of the two countries in the region could easily trigger accidents.
Duterte made the remark in a televised address late Monday, while noting that a conflict with China would not end "without any bloodshed” and Manila might not be able to win such a confrontation.
"If we go there to assert our jurisdiction, it will be bloody,” Duterte said. "We can retake it only by force. There is no way we can get back what they call the Philippine Sea without any bloodshed,” he said.
The Philippine president said he was "not so much interested” in confronting China over fishing rights in the disputed waterway.
"I’m not so much interested now in fishing. I don’t think there’s enough fish to quarrel about,” Duterte said.
"But when we start to mine, when we start to get whatever it is in the bowels of the China Sea, our oil, by that time, I will send my grey ships there to stake a claim,” he said, referring to Philippine naval ships.
"If they start drilling oil there, I will tell China, is that part of our agreement? If that is not part of our agreement, I will also drill oil there,” he said. "If they get the oil, that would be the time that we should act on it.”
The latest development comes at a time of heightened tensions over the disputed South China Sea islands between the two countries in the past weeks.
Duterte’s hostile remarks come even though he had tried to seek rapprochement and cooperation with China since coming to power some five years ago.
Earlier this month, the Philippines accused China of scattering "maritime militia” inside the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea.
China has rejected the claim, saying the boats were sheltering from rough seas and no militias were on board.
The United States, which sides with Beijing’s rival claimants in the maritime dispute, routinely sends warships and warplanes to the South China Sea to assert what it calls its "right” to "freedom of navigation,” ratcheting up tensions with China.
Beijing has constantly warned the U.S. against its military activities in the sea, saying that potential close military encounters by the air and naval forces of the two countries in the region could easily trigger accidents.