Philippine Leader Says China Wrong to Police Airspace Over Disputed Sea

[TomSea]

Philippine Leader Says China Wrong to Police Airspace Over Disputed Sea
Reuters

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said in a rare rebuke of Beijing he wants China to rethink its conduct in the South China Sea and that it has no right to repel foreign aircraft and boats passing by its artificial islands in the disputed waterway.

Duterte said he hoped China would "temper" its behavior and stop restricting movements, which could lead to a confrontation, possibly with treaty ally the United States. The Philippines was close enough to be put in danger, he said.

China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei have competing claims to the Spratly archipelago, where China has rapidly turned reefs into artificial islands that appear to be military installations, from which its personnel routinely instructs foreign vessels to leave.

Read more at: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-08-14/philippine-leader-says-china-wrong-to-police-airspace-over-disputed-sea

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Finding himself caught in China's debt trap diplomacy.

He wanted their money and now he doesn't want what comes with it.