Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte put his foot down Monday regarding the South China Sea as critics continue to point out the leader's apparent hesitance in pressuring China to abide by an arbitration ruling in 2016.
Is Duterte Prepared to 'Stake a Claim?'
On Monday, Duterte said that if Chinese ships start mining in the South China Sea, "I will send my grey ships there to stake a claim."
Duterte added that if China starts drilling oil in the disputed area, he will also drill oil. Still, the Filipino leader reiterated that he would like to retain friendly ties with the world's second largest economy.
Before Monday's comments, Duterte has said that his country did not have enough power and resources to block China's activities in the South China Sea.
For Duterte, waging war against a powerful Asian neighbor may result in the Philippines losing out. He said it was impossible to win the dispute "without any bloodshed."
As of Wednesday last week, the Philippine Coast Guard said at least 240 Chinese ships remained at Whitsun Reef despite repeated demands for the vessels to leave.
Filipino officials have since urged the president to confront China with more resolve to protect territorial seas so the other party will take the Philippines' stance on the matter more seriously.
Philippines Begins to Move in Disputed Waters
Over the past month, the dispute has heightened, with the Philippines gradually moving to "protect" its claimed reefs.
In mid-March, the Philippine military deployed more navy ships for "sovereignty patrols" across the South China Sea after around 200 Chinese vessels were spotted near Whitsun Reef.
China said the ships were sheltering from the storm. However, the Philippine government said the weather was fairly normal during the time the Chinese ships swarmed the disputed reef.
Maritime analysts said that incidents involving hundreds of vessels approaching a particular area could be a sign of preparations to construct permanent structures on reefs.
The Whitsun Reef is located in the Spratly Islands, which is under the Philippines' 200-mile EEZ as the reef is located around 175 nautical miles west of Palawan province.
What the Arbitration Ruling has to Say
On July 2016, the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration voted unanimously in favor of the Philippines, but China has yet to recognize the ruling.
While the tribunal's ruling is largely in favor of the Philippines, some critics have said that the ruling should have been more detailed in limiting maritime boundaries between the two claimants.
Furthermore, observers said the tribunal should have dealt with matters relating to territorial sovereignty, or which country owned maritime features in the South China Sea to prevent future disputes from blowing up.
According to an analysis by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, the ruling covered 11 parts, but China was only complying with two parts of the ruling.
The central point of the ruling is that China does not have the rights to claiming territories within the "nine-dash line," extending territorial seas, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and "continental shelf to which is entitled by UNCLOS."
