Philippines dispute Chinese maritime expansion at South China Sea | DW News

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte is gearing up for a face-off with China. Ahead of his fifth visit to China, he is facing pressure from back home to raise the problem of Beijing's military expansion in the South China Sea.
Duterte already threatened to cancel the trip if he couldn't discuss the contested waters.
The Philippines, like others in the region, rejects China's claim to the area. China wants control over major parts of the entire sea, which is a critical shipping route, rich in fish and oil and gas reserves.
In recents years Bejing has stepped up naval patrols and even constructed manmade islands there. In 2016, an international tribunal in the Hague ruled that China was in the wrong. China ignored the ruling.
In the Philippines, critics have pounced on Duterte for supposedly turning a blind eye to China's development in return for trade. But when a Chinese vessel rammed a fishing boat in June, leaving 22 Filipinio fishermen dead, Duterte could not ignore the public outrage any longer.
Subscribe:
For more news go to:
Follow DW on social media:
►Facebook:
►Twitter:
►Instagram:
Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie:
#SouthChinaSea