Duterte urged to confront Chinese 'bullying' in South China Sea
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte must end his “policy of subservience” towards Beijing, lawmakers and foreign policy experts have said, warning that the Filipino leader’s silence is sending the wrong signal as hundreds of Chinese “maritime militia” vessels continue to congregate within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
While several Filipino officials, including the country’s top diplomat and the defence chief, have openly demanded that the Chinese vessels immediately leave the country’s waters, Duterte has kept quiet for weeks.
During an address on Thursday night, Duterte did not mention the South China Sea. His spokesman said earlier that the president preferred to pursue his “diplomatic initiatives” in “private”
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In a statement on Thursday, Senator Leila de Lima, an opposition member, warned that the Philippines could become “just another one of China’s satellites” if Duterte and the military failed to confront China.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/duterte-urged-to-confront-chinese-bullying-in-south-china-sea/ar-BB1fHVO6
