MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines Defence Secretary on Monday dared China to take its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea to international arbitration, and said Manila would not budge on its position.
Speaking after the latest flare-up in tensions between Chinese and Philippine vessels at the weekend, Gilberto Teodoro told reporters: “If China is not afraid to state its claims to the world, then why don’t we arbitrate under international law?”
(Reporting by Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty)
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