Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he has asked the US ambassador why Washington did not send warships to stop China from building artificial islands in the South China Sea, where both Beijing and Manila lay claim to disputed territories.
„Had America really wanted to avoid trouble, early on… why did you not send the armada of the [Japan-based] 7th Fleet which is stationed there in the Pacific, you just make a U-turn and go there and tell them right on their face, stop it? “ Duterte said during Wednesday’s speech.
He said he had posed the question to US ambassador Sung Kim during a Monday meeting in southern Davao city, AP reported.
He told Kim he was surprised by what he called US inaction when newspapers began publishing photos of China’s construction of runways and other structures on the newly built islands.
In response, Kim, who arrived in Manila last year, said he was assigned elsewhere at the time and therefore could not provide an answer, according to Duterte.
The Philippines president went on to state that he will not go to war against China’s superior military which would do more harm to the Philippines.
„The first thing that will be blasted away from this planet Earth will be Palawan,“ Duterte said, referring to the western Philippine island province facing the disputed South China Sea. „All of the deposits of armaments of the Americans, including ours, are there.
