Hong Kong (CNN) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to send his troops on a "suicide mission" if Beijing doesn't "lay off" a Manila-occupied island in the South China Sea. Tensions have risen since the start of 2019 in the South China Sea, one of the world's most disputed regions and an important shipping lane. Diplomacy and intimidationTo reinforce its claims to the South China Sea, China has built and militarized artificial islands and has attempted to undermine other countries' positions through a combination of diplomacy and intimidation. Compared with his predecessors, Duterte has viewed the dispute in the South China Sea as more negotiable than a matter of principle. AMTI noted that Thitu is only about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from Subi Reef, one of the main places China has fortified in its recent buildup in the South China Sea.

Source: CNN April 05, 2019 05:37 UTC