Philippines' Duterte calls for peaceful resolution of China boats impasse

MANILA, April 6 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte is committed to peacefully resolving a diplomatic row
with China over the disputed South China Sea, his spokesman said
on Tuesday, in a measured response after days of strong rebukes
by his ministers and generals.
The continued presence inside the Philippines' exclusive
economic zone of hundreds of Chinese vessels that it believes
are manned by militias has frustrated Manila and drawn concern
from ally the United States, among others.
"We will continue to resolve the issues on Julian Felipe
through diplomatic channels and through peaceful means," said a
statement from Duterte read by his spokesman Harry Roque.
China has maintained that Whitsun Reef, known as Julian
Felipe Reef in the Philippines, was a traditional fishing ground
where its vessels were seeking shelter from adverse weather.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on Tuesday.
The toning down of the Philippine response comes a day after
its foreign ministry said it would protest daily if China
refused to withdraw boats that "blatantly infringe" on
Philippine sovereign rights. Duterte's legal counsel warned of
"unwanted hostilities". Defying public opinion, Duterte has sought to build an
alliance with China and has been reluctant to confront its
leadership having been promised billions of dollars of loans and
investments, much of which have yet to materialise.
He has repeatedly said the Philippines was powerless to stop
China occupying features and challenging its activities could
risk a war his country would lose.
In Duterte's statement, he said differences in the South
China Sea would not be an obstacle to friendly relations and
cooperation in pandemic response, including vaccines and
economic recovery.
The Philippines has one of Asia's worst COVID-19 outbreaks
but has faced difficulties securing vaccine supplies.
It has purchased 25 million doses of vaccines from China's
Sinovac SVA.O and the two million shots it has so far form the
majority of its vaccine inventory.