President Rodrigo Duterte, in a free-swinging gesture, dared the United States to fire the “first shot” at China—and said the Philippines would be behind the former if trouble erupted in the South China Sea.
The President made the statement Friday night during the inauguration of Chen Yi Adventures Rice Processing Complex in Alangalang, Leyte, where he challenged Washington to assemble all its armaments in the disputed South China Sea.
“Now I am telling [you] this, bring all your warplanes, ships in China, fire the first shot and we will just be behind you. Let’s fight and see who would be defeated,” he said.
The President’s remarks responded to the US for egging the Philippines on to do something about China’s moves in the South China Sea.
The President repeatedly said the Philippines could never win a war against China.
“That’s our problem today. I hope that China would not overdo things also [sic] because there is always America pushing us, egging us [on]. We’re just being pushed, I am being used as (a) bait. What [do] they think of the Filipinos? Earthworm?’ he said.
“They always said: US-RP pact. Okay. Let America declare the war. Let them assemble all their armaments there in the South China Sea. Fire the first shot and I’ll be glad to do the next. We have the RP-US pact, let us honor it. Do you want trouble? Okay, let’s do it,” Duterte said in a mix of Tagalog and English..
The President said “people would die when the time comes. But then what will happen to the America? And what will happen to the Philippines and Asia? I really do not know. That’s geopolitics. But I am not [an] idiot.”
Earlier on, the Pentagon criticized China when it fired a missile in the South China Sea, and described the move as “disturbing” and contrary to Chinese pledges that it would not militarize the disputed waterway.
However, China’s Defense Ministry on Friday denied US accusations that the Chinese military had recently carried out missile tests in the disputed South China Sea, saying instead that they had held routine drills that involved the firing of live ammunition.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported the six missiles test-fired by China last weekend could have been the Dongfeng-21D ballistic missiles, nicknamed the “carrier-killer.”
The Department of National Defense earlier said it would investigate the reported Chinese missile launch.
Meanwhile, the Philippines will conduct its own inquiry into the reported launching of anti-ballistic missiles by China off the West Philippine Sea.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday, in a message to reporters, “We have no first-hand knowledge about this missile launch except this news report. We will conduct our own inquiry and will decide later what to do if [the report is] proven correct.”
The tests took place last weekend with China warning ships not to approach the test area, and at least one missile was reportedly fired into the sea, one report said.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim reiterated Washington’s position on the South China Sea dispute.
“We urge all countries to refrain from provocative and unilateral actions that [are] inconsistent with international norms and practices,” Kim said during the July 4th US Independence Day celebration at Makati Shangri-La.
“We have stated our position very clearly for some time now, and I believe our friends in the Philippines agree that countries, including China, should refrain from such actions,” Kim added.
The US envoy called China’s missile launch “provocative” and a violation of international law.
“We have long been concerned and it’s not just the US but I think countries in the region have been concerned about aggressive unilateral actions in the disputed areas including militarization in the area,” he said.
Kim said China continued to renege on its commitment that it will not militarize the waters, where it has installed surface to air missiles in several contested features it recently transformed into artificial islands.
“China itself has committed that it would stop militarization but obviously that has not happened,” he said.
“It’s clear that countries should behave according to international practices and laws,” Kim added.
Reports indicated that China tested multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles over the weekend while the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, attended by US President Donald Trump and other world leaders, was taking place.
An expert on maritime law, meanwhile, said the missile tests are aimed at showing off China’s military capability to other countries, but were not targeted specifically at nations with competing claims in the South China Sea.
“It could also be seen as kind of signal to other countries that they can do this. The countries, therefore, would act more carefully,” said Jay Batongbacal, director at the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn earlier revealed that a recent Chinese missile launch was done in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, calling it ‘disturbing.”
But Batongbacal played down the missile tests, saying it did not mean that China was threatening other countries with war. With PNA
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