President Rodrigo Duterte dared the United States to fire the ‘first shot’ and declare a war against China.
The President said that the U.S. kept on pushing him to provoke China so that it could lead to a war over South China Sea.
“Let America declare the war. Let them assemble all their armaments there in South China Sea. Fire the first shot and I’ll be glad to do the next. May RP-U.S. pact man kaha tayo eh di let us honor it. Do you want trouble? Okay, let’s do it,” Duterte said in a speech in Leyte.
The President said that the U.S. failed to stop China’s militarizing the South China Sea.
Duterte said that only the country’s long-time military ally has the capacity to confront and stop China.
“Itong America alam nila. May Seventh Fleet sila. Bakit hindi nila pinuntahan doon sa Spratly and say, ‘Hey guys, you are not supposed to build an artificial island in the high seas. That is exactly prohibited by international law, and the fact that you are constructing it within the exclusive economic zone of our friend, the Philippines,” he said.
The President also called out his critics and even said that he is ready to turn over the government to them if they want war against China.
“How do I enforce the arbitral ruling? Magpunta ako dun dala ko navy? Itong si Carpio, Albert, at Morales I dont know gusto ko ibigay sa kanila ang gobyerno,” he said.
