(Eagle News) — What incursion? They were research ships.
President Rodrigo Duterte allayed fears the Chinese had made an incursion into an underwater landmass 250 kilometers off the east coast of the main island of Luzon, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, saying the foreign ships spotted by the Philippine Armed Forces there were only there for research.
Duterte’s pronouncement in a news briefing on Monday appeared to be a response to a statement of concern made by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana last week.
Lorenzana had said on Thursday that the “very concerning thing” was that there were several Chinese “service ships plying the area..as if doing nothing.”
“ But we believe they are actually surveying the seabed,” he had said.
According to Duterte, he had agreed to allow China to conduct research in Benham Rise.
As such, he said there was “no incursion” made at all.
“They have no incursion because we have an agreement…Some people are just blowing it up. We previously agreed. It was a research ship. We were advised of it way ahead,” he said.
He said nonetheless, he has already instructed the military to claim the Benham rise as “ours.”
“..But I say it in friendship,” he emphasized.
“Let us not fight about ownership or sovereignty at this time because things are going great for my country,” he added.
Eagle News Service
