Duterte to tackle arbitral ruling with China in time

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Duterte said there would come a time that he would discuss with China the arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines’ claim in the disputed territory in the South China Sea.

“It will come during my term. We have to talk about the arbitral decision. When? When they (China) extract mineral, I will ask by that time,” Duterte told over 2,000 delegates to the 38th national convention of the Philippine Association of Water District at the SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang Premier on Thursday.

In January, China’s foreign ministry said Duterte would again visit China in May to attend a multilateral summit. It would be his second visit to China since becoming president in June 2016.

Duterte first visited China in October 2016. His trip to Beijing resulted in improved bilateral ties and billions worth of deals, but some of them are not binding.

Duterte also failed to secure China’s commitment to honor the ruling of the United Nations’ Permanent Court of Arbitration favoring the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea and declaring China’s claims as baseless.

Duterte said he would continue to talk with China and not pick a fight with it because the Philippines is not capable of going to war with China. 

“I went to China. Now, you keep on pushing us, assert, assert, assert (the Philippine claims). The question is, it creates a friction. So I go to China. Get out, dismantle your… or else I’ll come here with my Coast Guard and Navy. So I go out picking fights,” he added.

The President also said those who want him to assert the arbitral ruling should think twice about the repercussions. 

“What do you think will happen to this country? It’s a massacre. What with 3,000 planes? The missiles are there in Spratlys. It can hit Cagayan de Oro, it can hit Pampanga, it can hit Palawan. So you want to go to war? By what proxy? Where is the battleground? The Republic of the Philippines,” he added.