Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he is willing to deploy military ships to the South China Sea to assert the country’s claim over oil deposits in a contested part of the waterway. He has faced growing domestic criticism for his reluctance to confront China over its activities in Philippine-claimed waters.
“When we start to mine, when we start to get whatever it is in the bowels of the China sea, our oil, then by that time... I will send my grey ships there to state a claim,” he said.