Philippines proposes China to hold joint management

Duterte spokesman Ernesto Abella said that Rodrigo Duterte was considering various options for resolving territorial disputes with Beijing, but none of them provided for the rejection of its waters.

Earlier Rodrigo Duterte was considered the cancellation of the International Tribunal's decision, according to which most of the disputed territories in the South China Sea (the West Philippine Sea) belongs to the Philippines.

Duterte said: “I have this arbitral award, so I have to push it. If you want, let’s just develop what’s the oil there, we can share. What will I do with the Scarborough Shoal? To Swim there everyday? For what? To send my soldiers there to die? I will just have to start with the domestic problem”.

The Philippines proposes some variants for the joint management of that water area, rich with oil deposits. However, Ernesto Abella added that such a decision was not interstate politics.

He said: “These are not government-to-government agreements, but it may be business-to-business agreements. It may be [the] private sector”.