South China Sea: Duterte orders Philippines military to occupy islands

>The Philippines has traditionally been a forceful claimant in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

>Under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, Manila won a landmark case at an international tribunal in the Hague, which ruled China had no legal basis for the bulk of its claims in the waters.

>Duterte's administration has been cozying up to Beijing since his election last year, and territorial disputes have been pushed to the background.
In a visit to the Chinese capital in October, Duterte said to Chinese President Xi Jinping that "America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow."

>Following his visit, Beijing agreed to allow Philippines fishing ships access to China-controlled territory.

>"By cozying up to China and trash-talking America, Duterte has achieved something that Washington couldn't deliver: a peaceful resolution to the Scarborough Shoal standoff," Ashley Townsend, a regional expert at the University of Sydney, wrote for CNN Opinion at the time.
...

>Duterte's latest comments seem to mark a departure from his previous policy, and suggests a desire to pursue the type of militarization Beijing has been accused of bringing to the region.

>"Even those, those vacant (islands) that are considered ours, let's live there," Duterte said.

>"It's like we're all competing to take these islands. And what's ours now at least, let's take it and make a strong point there that this is ours."
He said the Philippines should "fortify" its territory: "(We) must build bunkers or houses there and make provisions for habitation."

>Duterte has a history of making wild claims and pronouncements he does not necessarily follow up on. In December, he had to walk back a story he told about throwing someone out of a helicopter.
...

>While relations between Manila and Beijing may have improved, tensions in the South China Sea -- which is both resource rich and a crucial shipping route -- have remained high.

>China has continued militarizing and building up the territories it controls, reclaiming land to turn sandbars into islands, and equipping them with airfields, ports and weapons systems.

>US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has taken a firm line on Beijing's expansionism, saying in his confirmation that the Trump administration would "send China a clear signal."

>"Building islands and then putting military assets on those islands is akin to Russia's taking of Crimea. Its taking of territory that others lay claim to," Tillerson said.

>During a visit to Beijing however, Tillerson's tone was considerably softer, and he echoed Chinese language on the need to "expand cooperative areas and achieve win-win results."

>Trump meets with Xi Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, though it is unclear whether the South China Sea issue will come up.

>though it is unclear whether the South China Sea issue will come up.
Perfect timing by Duterte.

>>129484
Deuterte is like everything i wanted Trump to be. Too bad he got his balls but no brains

>>129524
>in favor of rampant extrajudicial killings

You know you have to be 18 to post here right?

>>129539
Spotted the junky.

U.S. Tomahawk missiles strike air field in Syria

Duterte invades South China Sea

Terror truck attack in Sweden

Just another day in 2017

>>129524
Butthurt is strong in this one.

So what happens when the Philippines military tries to occupy one of the islands that already has Chinese military on it?

>>129899
They both autistically screech until one is left

>>129484
>"We tried to be friends with everybody but we have to maintain our jurisdiction now, at least the areas under our control. And I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all these," he said during a visit to a military camp on the Philippines island of Palawan.

LITERALLY the nicest dude ever..whoever made this poor gentleman act out like this must be absolute scum!

>>129491
"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."

>>129484
I see China having no trouble crushing that retard and his shit tier nation into dust at the drop of a hat. Duterte is obviously deranged.

>>129899
China skull fucks them with no remorse.

>>129524

He knows that #1: any Chinese stationed on those island are flabby greens while his under-equipped military is hardened from having fought an insurgency for decades, and #2 even if he trash talks America they're still obligated to protect his country as they are composed of Burgerland's single largest fanbase.

It's a move like the Falklands.