Duterte advises caution anew on maritime dispute
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte expressed caution anew about taking up the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China over the South China Sea.
But at the same time, he said he did bring up that matter with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, as confirmed by China’s official Xinhua news agency.
“China will continue to work with ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries to safeguard peace, stability and prosperity of the South China Sea region,” Xinhua cited Mr. Xi as saying to Mr. Duterte.
Mr. Duterte for his part said in his homecoming remarks on Sunday, Nov. 12, that he and Mr. Xi “discussed the South China Sea.”
Mr. Duterte said Mr. Xi “was quite surprised about my coming in very strong (on) my statement here about the conduct of the sea.”
“I said, ‘I am not raising any sovereign issue. Do not worry.’ But as Chairman, I was made it — the, you know, a tunnel for the communications to be active,” Mr. Duterte also said, adding further:
“And I said, ‘ I had to do it because the Philippines chairs the ASEAN now’.... I cannot escape that from my duty.... But I explained it to him in a very nice way that it was all — that was all the rest of it.
According to Mr. Duterte, Mr. Xi, in response, “assured us again, ‘Do not worry. You have all the rights of the safe passage.’”