Duterte asks China: Is it right for a country to claim the whole ocean?

This is considered a historic first for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, he has publicly called out, China.

The Chief Executive in his speech has asked the Asian giant China if it right to claim the whole ocean?. The president has been hit by his critics for being silent against the atrocities and flamboyant actions of the Asian giant.

“I love China; it has helped us a bit. But it behooves upon us to ask: Is it right for a country to claim the whole ocean? Only just leave the high seas as it was during the old days of international law,”  Pres. Duterte said in a speech at the Nikkei’s 25th International Conference on the Future of Asia.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the business forum at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan
(photo credit to PDI)

Members of the Southeast Asian Nations and China are currently in talks in the drafting of the sea code to settle disputes in the area.

“I am sad and bewildered, not angry because I cannot do anything but I just hope that China will come up with conduct of the seas soon,” Duterte said.


The South China Sea, the President explains is always a “ flashpoint for trouble.”

NO US in the Sea of Conduct talks

The Philippine leader was very clear when he said the United States should not meddle in the talks on the South China Sea as “nothing will happen” if they would join the discussion.

“Somebody should reach out to the United States because if you leave it to them to talk, nothing will happen. There is so much animosity covered by talking about how they desire to have an agreement,” he said.

“But there has to be somebody, not identified with any country that China does not like because there will never be a sort of an America, China talking seriously about territories. It will just end up in a shouting match,” he added.

The country was able to get a historic win against China from the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague in July 2016, which invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims to almost all of the South China Sea.

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