Malacañang on Monday said it was still relying on the “goodwill” of China after a newspaper in the mainland reported that China had “accelerated and enhanced its military presence” in the South China Sea. It also said that there was a plan to commission a “fleet of offshore nuclear platforms” for its islands before 2020. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said it was prudent to find out where the actual construction occurred since the Philippines was not claiming the whole South China Sea. “Location is material since we do not have claims on all the islands and waters in the disputed area,” he added. The paper based its article on a report posted on nanhai.haiwainet.cn, a website run jointly by the overseas edition of the People’s Daily and China’s National Marine Data and Information Service.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 25, 2017 19:52 UTC