MANILA, Philippines — While his economic team is in Beijing to firm up the funding for the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program, President Duterte warned China not to initiate moves to explore oil deposits in the disputed areas with overlapping jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.
Duterte said he has reiterated to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the Philippines will not be insisting to Beijing to recognize the decision of the UN arbitral tribunal.
However, he said China should respect the Philippines’ rights over the Spratly Islands and other contested areas in the area.
This developed as Duterte’s economic managers, led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, left yesterday for China to hold meetings with their Chinese counterparts regarding Build, Build, Build projects that would be financed through official development assistance from the Chinese government.
“I told, Mr. Xi Jinping, we also have a claim. You know we have the award. But I will not insist on recovering the award because it would result in a war, and it will be a massacre. I know. But please be it noted that one day during my term, I will assert,” Duterte said.
“What will I assert? Oil. If you (China) do it solo, that would be chaotic. Because if you strike oil now, you will siphon off the sea?” he said.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea.
Duterte has admitted that the Philippines cannot match the military power of China because the Armed Forces of the Philippines is ill-equipped.
Nonetheless, Duterte said he is ready to deploy his soldiers and policemen that would be ready to defend Philippine sovereignty even if they are just armed with bolos and knives.
“But son of a…, it’s going to be difficult if you dig uranium there. That is where we will start having a conflict. That’s when you see (Undersecretary Eduardo) Año bring bolos and knives,” he said in Visayan.
Año, a retired military official, now heads the Department of the Interior and Local Government and has under his supervision the Philippine National Police.