Previously, the Philippine president has publicly admitted that China controls the disputed waters of the South China Sea and called for acceptance of this fact in order to avoid friction with Beijing. He has also admitted that a military confrontation with the Asian giant would be disastrous for the Philippines.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned Beijing against hostile activities aimed at Pag-asa island, where a Philippine military base is located, vowing to order “suicide missions” to retaliate against Chinese actions in a statement on 5 April.

“I will not plead or beg, but I am just telling you that lay off the Pag-asa because I have soldiers there. If you touch it, that’s another story. Then I will tell my soldiers ‘prepare for suicide missions'”, he said.

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