China threatened war over sea dispute, Duterte claims

MANILA // Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte yesterday said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had warned him there would be war if Manila tried to enforce an arbitration ruling and drill for oil in a disputed part of the South China Sea.

In remarks that could infuriate China, Mr Duterte hit back at domestic critics who said he has gone soft on Beijing by refusing to push it to comply with an award last year by the permanent court of arbitration in The Hague, which ruled largely in favour of the Philippines.

Mr Duterte said he discussed it with Mr Xi when the two met in Beijing on Monday, and got a firm, but friendly warning.

“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,” Mr Duterte said in recalling his conversation with Mr Xi.

“His response to me, ‘ We’re friends, we don’t want to quar- rel with you, we want to maintain the presence of warm relationship. But if you force the issue, we’ll go to war’.”

Mr Duterte has long voiced his admiration for Mr Xi and said he would raise the arbitration ruling with him eventually, but needed first to strengthen bilateral relations, which the Philippines is hoping will yield billions of dollars in Chinese loans and infrastructure investments.

The Hague award clarifies the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its 322-kilometre exclusive economic zone to access offshore oil and gas fields, including the Reed Bank, 157km off its coast.

It also invalidated China’s nine- dash line claim on its maps denoting sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.

Mr Duterte has a reputation for his candid, at times incendiary, remarks and his office typically backpedals on his behalf and blames the media for distorting his most controversial comments.

Mr Duterte recalled the same story about his discussion with Mr Xi on oil exploration in a recorded television show broadcast moments after the speech.

He said Mr Xi told him “do not touch it”. Mr Duterte said Mr Xi had promised that the arbitration ruling would be discussed in the future, but not now.

He said China did not want to bring up the arbitration ruling at a time when other claimant countries, such as Vietnam, might also decide to file cases against China at the arbitration tribunal.

Yesterday, China and the Philippines held their first dialogue session in a two-way consultation process on the South China Sea.

They exchanged views on “the importance of appropriately handling concerns, incidents and disputes involving the South China Sea”, said the Chinese foreign ministry.