Philippine president takes US to task over its refusal to challenge China on its South China Sea activities.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he confronted the American ambassador about the US’ inaction in stopping China’s construction of man-made islands that are now at the heart of a regional dispute in the South China Sea.
« W hy did you not send the armada of the 7th Fleet, » the straight-talking president said he told US Ambassador Sung Kim .
Duterte said in a speech on Wednesday that Kim was unable to reply to the question when they met on Monday in southern Davao city, where the president had a separate meeting with the Chinese ambassador.
Duterte said he told Kim he was surprised by what he described as US inaction when newspapers were publishing pictures of China’s construction of runways and other structures on the newly built islands in the disputed waters.
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« Had America really wanted to avoid trouble, early on … why did you not send the armada of the 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 to Kim, referring to the US naval fleet based in Japan.
Kim, who arrived in Manila last year as American ambassador, replied he was assigned elsewhere at the time and could not give an answer, Duterte said.
While criticising the US, Duterte did not berate China’s behavior in the South China Sea in his speech.
