Duterte: China ‘in possession’ of disputed sea; drills to just raise tension

SINGAPORE—President Duterte on Thursday acknowledged that China was “in possession” of the South China Sea, and warned that any military drills there would only worsen tensions in the hotly contested waterway.

Duterte, however, said he would try his best to lead the talks between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is the country coordinator of the Asean-China Dialogue Relations, which aims to produce a rule book for managing multiple territorial disputes in the strategic waterway.

No military drills

Duterte spoke to reporters before going to the summit meetings on Thursday morning.

Asked about military drills in the South China Sea, Duterte warned against such activities because “China is already in possession” of the waterway.

“Why do you have to create frictions?” the President said. “Strong military activity will prompt a response from China.”

Duterte said other countries could count on the Philippines not going to war over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

“I do not mind everybody going to war, but except that the Philippines is just beside those islands. If there is shooting there my country will be the first to suffer,” he said.

At the meeting, Duterte called on other countries to help ensure stability in the region instead of causing “friction,” a reference to freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea by the United States and its allies opposed to China’s militarization of the waterway.