President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has agreed to allow Chinese surveillance ships into Philippine waters. Duterte said there was no incursion, particularly in Benham Rise, an underwater landmass off the east coast of Luzon and recognized by the United Nations as indisputably Philippine territory, because we have an agreement and that he did not want to “fight” with China because he wanted Chinese economic help. But if the Chinese vessels were conducting seismic surveys to look for oil, gas and minerals, then they could not do that because UNLCOS has reserved the oil, gas and minerals in the ECS to the Philippines.

Mata, N. (2017, March 16). Duterte allows Chinese ships in Philippine waters. Malaya Business Insight, p. B5.