China’s push into Philippine-claimed waters has again riled the nation’s top brass, bringing into sharp relief the defense establishment’s skeptical view of President Rodrigo Duterte’s engagement policy. In a sharply worded statement, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana condemned on what he termed as China’s “bullying” in the South China Sea. “The bottom line is what they’re saying does not match their actions in the [South China Sea]” he said on July 30.
Lorenzana, a consistent skeptic of Duterte’s Beijing-leaning policies, made the comments in response to an earlier speech by Chinese Ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua, who maintained that Beijing has no aggressive intentions in the region.
Lorenzana, a consistent skeptic of Duterte’s Beijing-leaning policies, made the comments in response to an earlier speech by Chinese Ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua, who maintained that Beijing has no aggressive intentions in the region.
