Duterte says he'll set aside sea feud ruling against China
The Philippine president said Saturday he would "set aside" a ruling by an international arbitration tribunal that invalidated Beijing's claims to most of the busy South China Sea, because he doesn't want to impose on China.
President Rodrigo Duterte made the remarks when asked in a news conference if a U.S. think tank report that China apparently installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on its new artificial islands in the disputed waters would affect his perception of Beijing. The Philippines claims the reefs that were turned by China into man-made islands.
Duterte, who took office in June, has taken steps to mend relations with China that grew hostile during the time of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, over the long-unresolved territorial disputes. The Aquino administration took the disputes to international arbitration in a move backed by Washington after China seized a disputed shoal in 2012. "In the play of politics, now, I will set aside the arbitral ruling. I will not impose anything on China," Duterte said.
