In the declaration that made the Chinese President comment such enraged threat, President Duterte lashed out to domestic critics who claimed that he was being a coward by refusing to push China to comply and follow the decision last year by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague which favored the Philippines and use the decision as an advantage.
“I really said, ‘It’s ours. I’d like you to listen for a while.’ I said, ‘Mr. Xi Jinping, I would insist that that is ours and I will drill oil there," He said in a speech at the National Convention of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary in Davao City. Duterte told Xi that his view was that he could drill for oil because of the are which the Philippines owns and calls West Philippine Sea.
“They replied to me, ‘We are friends. We do not want to quarrel with you… We want to maintain the present warm relationship. But if you force the issue, we’ll go to war,’” Mr. Duterte said. "What more could I say?" He added.
The President he had already discussed it with President Xi Jin Ping at their meeting in Beijing on Monday where he got a firm but friendly warning.
Duterte said in his speech as he recall their conversation, "We intend to drill oil there, if it's yours, well, that's your view, but my view is, I can drill the oil, if there is some inside the bowels of the earth because it is ours. His response to me, 'we're friends, we don't want to quarrel with you, we want to maintain the presence of warm relationship, but if you force the issue, we'll go to war."
The President expressed his admiration to his Chinese counterpart and he said he said, he will eventually raise the issue about the arbitration ruling with him but before that, he needs to strengthen the two countries' relationship which the President hopes will yield billions of dollars from Chinese loans and investments in infrastructures.
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It has already been clarified by the Hague Award the Philippine soveirgn rights in its 200-mile exclusive zone to access offshore oil and gas fields, including the Reed Bank, 85 nautical miles off its coast and invalidates China's 9-dash line claim on its map that denotes sovereignty on most of the South China Sea but the Chinese President replied that its claims were historical.
On the same story President Duterte recalled on a discussion he had with Presiden Xi Jin Ping in a recorder television show regarding oil exploration.
Xi told him, "do not touch." and promised that the arbitration ruling will be discussed soon but not now.
According to Duterte, China did not want to bring up the talks about the ruling during the time when other claimants might decide to file the same cases at the tribunal.
“China said if we remain friends, it said, ‘We will talk about the arbitral ruling. But it cannot be now. You know why? You are not the only claimant. Vietnam is also a virulent claimant,’” he said. “The first to be struck would be Palawan.”
The firebrand leader has already publicly discussed the content of private meetings with other world leaders. “The importance of appropriately handling concerns, incidents and disputes involving the South China Sea”, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that gave few details.
His statements came at the same day China and Philippines at their first session in a two-way consultation process on the South China Sea.
Duterte is always being critized by his so-called critics about his stand on the South China Sea disputes with China. But still stands firm on his claim that everything should be taken care slowly given the fact that when it comes to military equipments, ours won't stand a chance against the China.
Source: SCMP
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