Malacañang on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte had always been consistent in his dealings with China after the Chief Executive warned of trouble if Beijing unilaterally exploited resources in the South China Sea.
“(The President) has not changed his position. He has been consistent that he will not give away an inch of Philippine territory,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told reporters.
In a speech in Cebu City on Wednesday, Mr. Duterte warned China against drilling for oil and other resources in the disputed sea.
“That’s where we’re going to have differences. That’s where you’ll see [Interior Secretary Eduardo] Año bring a machete there and cut down the Chinese,” he said.
China warned
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including areas within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Roque said the President only warned China against exploiting resources unilaterally.
Mr. Duterte has said he would not pick a fight with China, whose leader, President Xi Jinping, he described as “a good friend.”
Still, Roque said the Duterte administration would not give up territory in the disputed sea.
“We will not give up territory but we will now move on to areas that we can agree upon,” he said.