Duterte says he allows Chinese vessels to fish in Philippine waters to prevent war

In his State of the Nation address, the president says Manila ‘owns the West Philippine Sea but China controls it’, pointing to the presence of guided missiles on Chinese-made artificial islands

The two-hour speech also saw him ask Congress to reimpose the death penalty for drug-related crimes and set up a new ministry for the welfare of overseas workers

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his fourth State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Manila. Photo: AP

Published: 9:36pm, 22 Jul 2019Updated: 3:07pm, 13 Dec 2019

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday insisted the West Philippine Sea belonged to his country, but defended his agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to allow Chinese fishermen to operate in the area, saying it was not a constitutional violation.

In Monday’s State of the Nation address, which he delivered more than an hour late, Duterte said this agreement would ensure there would be no war in the disputed South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have overlapping claims.

If you want marines to drive away the Chinese fishermen, not one of them will come home alive

President Rodrigo Duterte

“We own the West Philippine Sea but China controls it. That is the reality,” Duterte said, hinting that China would have no qualms using arms. “There are already guided missiles [on China-made artificial] islands, [which] can reach Manila in seven minutes.

“If you want marines to drive away the Chinese fishermen, not one of them will come home alive.”

Duterte devoted nine minutes to the West Philippine Sea issue, revealing he had asked Xi to “please allow” Filipino fishermen to work in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In return, he said he allowed Chinese fishermen to operate in the area, where a Chinese fishing vessel last month rammed and sank a Philippine fishing boat.

“Xi says ‘I will fish’, who can prevent him? I said, ‘We will fish because we claim it’. I said, ‘Please allow’, because before that [China was] driving away our fishermen.”

The West Philippine Sea refers to the part of the South China Sea that lies off the Philippines’ west coast. Manila named the area in 2012 in a bid to delineate its sovereign territory.

The overlapping claims of China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Graphic: SCMP