Duterte Will Ignore South China Sea Ruling for China Oil Deal
This article is for subscribers only.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will ignore an international court ruling affirming his country’s territorial claims in the South China Sea in order to advance oil exploration plans with Beijing.
Duterte said in a media briefing late Tuesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had promised a 60-40 revenue sharing scheme favoring the Philippines in oil exploration. The Philippine leader added that Beijing had urged him to set aside a 2016 arbitration nullifying China’s claims in the disputed sea. “That is the promise of Xi Jinping,” Duterte said.