Philippines’ Duterte Threatens War in South China Sea if Troops Are Harmed
Philippines’ Duterte Threatens War in South China Sea if Troops Are Harmed Two members of President Rodrigo Duterte's government have discussed the possibility of war in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where China has built several man-made islands to strengthen its territorial claims and equipped them with military facilities . Duterte's national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon said that the Philippines will always pursue diplomacy to defuse tensions, but that it would also be prepared to enter a conflict should their military forces be provoked or hurt. “The other night, the president said if his troops are harmed, that could be his red line,” Esperon told reporters on Wednesday, quoted in Reuters . The waters surrounding the Spratly Islands, an archipelago consisting of more than 100 small islands or reefs around 500 miles from China's coast, see the presence of various military contingents from China, but also from Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia a