Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is running for president this 2016 election is open for a dialogue with China in a joint oil exploration in the West Philippine sea (South China Sea).
Duterte said that he is agreeable to a joint exploration in the disputed gas-rich territories.
During the “Go Negosyo: Meet the Presidentiables Series” in Makati City on Thursday night, Duterte said, “If you want to talk, then let’s talk.” As he was referring to the move by China to bilateral talks without the involvement of a third party.
As China always and repeatedly said that they want bilateral talks and not multilateral negotiations. Duterte said he is open to bilateral talks with China.
“China does not need it (multilateral talks). China wants to talk bilateral,” he said.
The extreme talking leader, be that as it may, guaranteed that he would attest the sea privileges of the Philippines over the questioned territories.
With regards to the man-made structures built by China on our disputed islands, Duterte said, “What you have built there is within our territory, it is illegal and we are protesting it.”
While our maritime claims at the United Nations (UN) is ongoing, he said the nation needs to take part in serene dialog with China.
He said, the maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea issue has created a “hiatus.”
“The talks are not moving and it is in still waters. China is adding structures day to day. Something has to give there,” he said.
“You (China) might just want to open this as a mutual corridor and I will be willing to talk to you. If there are oil and gas (at disputed sea), let us do joint exploration. Do not own it,” he added.
Duterte accepted that the Philippines couldn’t go into war with China.
‘We cannot defeat you. We will be pulverized if we go to war. So I will just tell them, ‘If you want to talk, let’s talk.” he said, the nation couldn’t bear to take up arms against China.
A series of diplomatic protests against China has been filed by the Philippine government at the United Nations, International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) yet China has over and over declined to partake in the arbitration proceedings. -Carl E.
