Duterte: PH neutral in US-China race

DAVAO CITY — President Duterte said the country will take a neutral position in the quest for global dominance between China and US, but warned the two superpowers to recognize the Philippine exclusive economic zone or he “will order the navy to fire” at intruders.

“But just the same ,we cannot fight America, just like China. I’ll just keep quiet. But if you get something there from the economic zone, I will order the Navy to fire,” the President told reporters Friday.

He said the government would rather focus on addressing the fundamental problems in the country, including the repatriation of distressed Filipinos abroad.

Duterte said the country will continue to talk with China but added this is not the time to be fighting over West Philippine Sea, also known as South China Sea.

“Now, China is playing it right at this time. That is the reality of geopolitics. Hindi naman tayo ang kalaban niya, kalaban niya America. (We are not the enemy of China, its enemy is America.) They are competing for a world superpower in the next centuries to come. Huwag tayong makisali diyan (Let’s not get involved),” he said.

Duterte said the country will assert ownership of Benham Rise because it is within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. “It is a theory in geography, geopolitics included, that we can rightfully claim the continental shelf because it is part of the land mass which is under the sea, where you see the land base,” he said

In a press briefing on February 8, Presidential spokesman Harry S. Roque confirmed that China issued a statement acknowledging Philippine sovereignty over Benham Rise, also called the Philippine Rise, as it ended its scientific research.

But Roque refused to comment on reports that China is expanding its artificial islands in the South China Sea until there are “some formal reports coming from Department of Foreign Affairs.”