President Rodrigo Duterte has repeated before Russian television China’s threat of war if the Philippines insisted on drilling for oil in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) in Beijing. In an interview with Moscow-based news channel Russia Today (RT), released upon his arrival in Russia for an official visit on Monday, the President said confronting China would not help because Manila was not ready for war against Beijing. Duterte, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing last week, said he and Chinese leaders talked about the 2016 ruling of a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal that trashed China’s claims over the disputed waters.

Valente, C. S. (2017, May 24). Duterte repeats China war threat. The Manila Time, pp. A1, A2.