The Philippine President Duterte emphasized that he will not let the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard withdraw from the South China Sea, and insist that the Philippines' sovereignty over the sea is not to be negotiated.
Comprehensive Agence France -Presse and Reuters reported that Duterte said yesterday (28) that the Philippines is grateful to "good friends" China in many things, including free coronary vaccines, but the sound of water in the Philippines "cannot" cannotbargain".
The Philippine Coast Guards are performing exercises on Zhongye Island, Huangyan Island, the Philippine Badan Islands, and southern and east of the Philippines.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Monday (26th): "China urges relevant parties to respect China's sovereignty and rights and interests, and stop taking a move that leads to the complexity and expansion of the situation."
The Philippine Ministry of National Defense emphasized that China did not tell the Philippines what kind of space for its own waters.
Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippine Minister of Defense, told reporters that Beijing in the South China Sea "has no power or legal basis to prevent us from conducting these exercises" because "their voice ... has no basis."
