Duterte Stakes Rare Claim, Tells China to ‘Lay Off’ Thitu Island
- Philippines says almost 300 Chinese ships near Thitu ‘illegal’
- President says soldiers will go on ‘suicide mission’ for Thitu
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In a rare rebuke of China, President Rodrigo Duterte told Beijing to “lay off” from the Philippines-occupied Thitu Island in South China Sea or he will order his soldiers to defend the nation’s claim with "suicide missions."
“I’m trying to tell China, Pag-Asa is ours,” Duterte said, calling Thitu Island by its local name. “So let us be friends but do not touch Pag-Asa Island and the rest. Otherwise, things would be different,” he said on Thursday night.