http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/19/18/duterte-jokes-about-making-ph-a-province-of-china
Duterte jokes about making PH a 'province' of China
Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 19 2018 11:14 PM | Updated as of Feb 20 2018 08:11 AM
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Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua, who was at the same event, interpreted the President’s joke as a manifestation of wanting to have closer ties between the two countries.
Duterte is also unfazed by China’s naming of undersea features in the Philippine Rise, formerly Benham Rise, saying they are merely using their language in doing their research.
He, however, reiterated that the Philippines has sovereign rights over the area and will not allow foreign expedition in the meantime.
China, meanwhile, allayed concerns over the Chinese names, saying it’s a mere scientific process and that it respects the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the area.
Jianhua said China will respect should the Philippines refuse to recognize the Chinese names for undersea features.
When it comes to conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea, Duterte is sticking to the diplomatic way, saying “he won’t go into a battle he could not win”.
Duterte tagged the structures China’s building in the disputed waters as “military bases”, intended for states that pose a threat to it, and not the Philippines.
He also said China has offered to conduct joint exploration in the area.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/196426-duterte-philippines-province-china
Duterte jokes: Why not make Philippines a province of China?
The President says negotiations for joint exploration with China are underway. He suggests a sharing scheme of two-thirds for the Philippines and one-third for China.
Pia Ranada
@piaranada
Published 8:38 PM, February 19, 2018
Updated 2:57 PM, February 20, 2018
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NOT A TARGET. President Rodrigo Duterte says China's military buildup in the West Philippine Sea targets the United States and not the Philippines. Malacañang file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte jokingly suggested to China that it make the Philippines part of its territory, as a province.
"Kung gusto 'nyo, gawin 'nyo na lang kaming province, parang Fujian (If you want, just make us a province, like Fujian)," said Duterte on Monday, February 19, during the anniversary of the Chinese Business Club.
"Province of Philippines, Republic of China," he added, to applause from his audience of Filipino-Chinese businessmen.
Duterte made the joke after saying Chinese President Xi Jinping himself promised not to build any structures on Scarborough Shoal.
"They assured us they will not build anything there in Scarborough Shoal," said Duterte.
"Maniwala kayo kasi 'yan ang commitment sa akin ni China. Si Xi Jinping mismo nagsabi and he's a man of honor." (Believe it because that is China's commitment to me. Xi Jinping himself said it and he's a man of honor.)
Duterte added that negotiations for joint exploration between China and the Philippines are underway, even mentioning the possible sharing scheme between the two nations.
"Kasi 'yung oil, joint (exploration) naman, 'yung pinakamarami. Two-thirds sa amin, one-third sa inyo," said the President. (Because the oil, it's joint exploration, we will have the biggest share. Two-thirds will be ours, one-third yours.)
Military bases
Duterte also admitted in his speech that China is building "military bases" in the West Philippine Sea but said it would be silly for anyone to think China will use such military assets against the Philippines.
"Military bases, I must admit it, but is it intended for us? You must be joking. It's not intended for us," he said. (READ: Roque: One day, we'll thank China for artificial islands)
China is building up its defense capability against just the United States, according to Duterte.
"It's really intended for those who China thinks will destroy them and that is America, hindi tayo kasali diyan (we aren't part of that)," said the President.
"There's negotiations for joint exploration. Can you beat that? Hayaan mo missile-missile diyan, hindi para sa atin 'yan (Just ignore the missiles there, it's not intended for us)," he added.
Duterte also downplayed China's successful bid to name 5 undersea features in Philippine Rise (Benham Rise). But he maintained that if the continental shelf is found to be resource-rich, the Philippines would claim the resources, such as oil. (READ: No bad faith on part of China in naming PH Rise features – Roque)
"If they say there is a lot of oil there, fine...Remember, that is ours. The whole of the [South] China Sea, you have already claimed it…but this Philippine Rise is ours," said Duterte.
He repeated that any future scientific research conducted by a foreign entity in Philippine Rise will have to be cleared by the military first. (READ: PH can ban China in Benham, but not other nations – Carpio)
"If the military says it's good, it can be done, I'll give you the permit," said Duterte. – Rappler.com
https://www.rt.com/news/419278-chinese-military-bases-duterte/
‘Chinese province of the Philippines?’ Duterte says Beijing’s military bases only threaten the US
Published time: 20 Feb, 2018 00:07 Edited time: 20 Feb, 2018 10:04
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Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy patrol at Woody Island. January 29, 2016. / Reuters
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The disputed waters of the South China Sea have long been a bone of contention between the regional players – China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Beijing has laid claim to nearly all of the resource-rich area, through which an estimated $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. China reportedly boosted the construction of military bases on artificial islands around the Spratly and Paracel Islands to protect its national interests in the area. The control of the archipelago, which includes about 130 small coral islands and reefs, is key to Beijing’s dominance in the South China Sea.
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‘Avoid condoms, they’re not pleasurable,’ Duterte tells Filipinos The Philippines, a direct party to the territorial dispute, believes that the Chinese military installations are not intended to confront neighbors, but rather to repel the US from the region. Despite Washington having no territorial claims in the area, the US has always stressed the necessity for freedom of navigation in the area and opposed China’s claims. The US and Chinese militaries have had frequent standoffs in the South China Sea.
“China [is] building structures and military bases. I must admit it. But is it intended for us? You must be joking,” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told Chinese-Filipino businessmen at a gathering in Manila attended by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.
“It’s not intended for us. The contending ideological powers of the world or the geopolitics has greatly changed. It’s really intended against those who the Chinese think would destroy them. And that is America,” he added, according to Inquirer.
Duterte stressed that Manila will pursue a “diplomatic” course with Beijing over territorial disputes and avoid any military provocation in the region. In July 2016, judges in the Hague ruled that China has caused irreversible harm to the ecosystem of the Spratly Islands and violated sovereign rights of the Philippines. A tribunal at the Hague said in a ruling that “there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line,’” referring to a demarcation line on a map of the sea from 1947. However, Beijing has ignored the verdict, saying its islands come with exclusive economic zones, where Chinese people have had activities for 2,000 years.
“We cannot go there, ride in our whatever, Navy, the gray ships, the Coast Guard and start waving our rifles. We cannot do that today. It is unrealistic. It cannot be true,” Duterte said. “Then why would I go there, bring my Navy, my soldiers, my police and everything only to be slaughtered?”
“I will not commit the lives of the Filipinos only to die unnecessarily. I will not go into a battle which I can never win. We cannot do that today. It is unrealistic,” Duterte added, signaling that he is ready for rapprochement with China on the issue.
Duterte even joked about making the Philippines a province of China, downplaying moves by China to assign Chinese names to several undersea features in the Pacific belonging to the Philippines.
“If you want, you can make us a province, like Fujian. Province of the Philippines, Republic of China,” Duterte said, according to Channel News Asia.
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