President Duterte allows China to conduct research in Philippine waters
(Baonghean.vn) - On January 15, the spokesman of the President of the Philippines, Mr. Harry Roque, said that President Rodrigo Duterte personally decided to allow China to conduct scientific research off the Pacific coast of this Southeast Asian country.
 |
| President Duterte personally allowed China to conduct scientific research off the Philippines' Pacific coast. Photo: AP |
According to Mr. Roque, as the “chief architect” of foreign policy, President Duterte has allowed China, together with the University of the Philippines, to study Benham Rise, an area approximately the size of Greece and considered by some scientists to be a biodiverse and tuna-rich area.
The official said anyone who objects to the joint research project can petition Congress. “If this is an unwise move by the President, then a law can be enacted to prohibit this from happening,” Duterte’s spokesman said.
Mr. Roque added that the Philippines will grant similar rights to any other country that expresses interest in conducting marine research in Benham Rise.
Benham Rise, about 13 million hectares wide, located in the East of the Philippines, is not disputed by any country and was determined by the United Nations to be part of the country's continental shelf in 2012.
Although Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime disputes over sovereignty in the South China Sea, there has been no disagreement between the two countries regarding waters off the Philippines' Pacific coast./.