Beijing and Manila have a separate long-running territorial feud in the South China Sea west of the Philippines, but tensions have eased considerably since Duterte took office in June and began reaching out to China. The Philippine military spotted the Chinese survey ships crisscrossing the Benham Rise waters suspiciously from July to December last year, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said last week. The Chinese ships' presence in the area was to be discussed late Monday at a meeting of National Security Council executive members and Duterte. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it asked China through its embassy Friday to clarify what the survey ships were doing in Benham Rise. In the South China Sea, Duterte has scuttled plans made under his predecessor for joint Philippine patrols with the U.S. Navy in disputed waters to avoid offending China.

Source: Fox News March 13, 2017 14:26 UTC