During his term, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his final policy speech, emphasizing the idea of not recognizing the value of the international arbitration award, which completely denied China's allegations on the South China Sea issue.
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his final policy speech last night (26th) in the House of Representatives in Manila, the capital, during his six-year term.
In this, President Duterte restrained China by stating that "there is no room for compromise in some international law" regarding the decision of the international arbitration trial, which completely denied China's allegations on the South China Sea issue.
However, after that, he turned around and emphasized the idea of not recognizing the value of judgment until the end of his term, saying, "What should I do with such a non-binding document? There is no true arbitration trial." Did.
"Chinese missiles reach the Philippines in minutes. A war with China will only be slaughtered," he said, avoiding direct conflict with China.
Local media have criticized the question, "I was asked how to protect the sovereignty of the country, not whether or not to go to war, but I didn't answer it until the end."
US Secretary of Defense Austin will visit the Philippines this week, but talks about military agreements between the two countries and discussions over how to deal with China are expected to be difficult.