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| President Rodrigo Duterte |
By Camille Diola
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed the idea that the Philippines can pressure China through international opinion by raising the country's legal victory on the South China Sea, saying those who want him to do so are dreaming.
Duterte also shrugged off China's artificial islands within Philippine-claimed waters as a "non-issue" while speaking to reporters at Malacañan two days before the ASEAN leaders' summit in Manila.
"It cannot be an issue anymore, (the islands) are already there. What would be the purpose of discussing it when we cannot do anything?" Duterte said.
When a reporter suggested that international pressure can mount on China, Duterte said: "(We) cannot do that, you're just dreaming. Those are theories that you are dreaming (of), that's really the Obama style. All dreams."
For the Philippine leader, who is known to be friendly with Beijing and Moscow but hostile to Washington, the United States did not try to stop China when it started reclaiming disputed reefs and shoals in the South China Sea in 2013.
Duterte's views did not consider that the US has been condemning and challenging China's military buildup in the key trade route.
Read the full story at PhilStar