Duterte will ‘go to war’ if China crosses ‘red lines,’ Philippine FM

(rt.co), 29 May, 2018  
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is ready to go to war with Beijing if it crosses ‘red lines’ and unilaterally claims natural resources in the disputed South China Sea, the country’s foreign minister has warned.  

The Philippines will go to war to protect its rights in the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano noted, somewhat contradicting President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy of avoiding any confrontation with their neighbor.  

“If anyone gets the natural resources in the West Philippine Sea, he [Duterte] will go to war,” Cayetano said on Monday.  

Cayetano repeated, outlining ‘red lines’ amid a simmering territorial dispute with Beijing, which continues to ignore the 2016 international arbitration ruling that said “there was no legal basis” for China to claim historic rights in the South China Sea.