Duterte then claimed that if it was exclusively up to him, he would go to war anyway, but China's military superiority would turn the conflict into "massacre and it will destroy everything".
A Supreme Court judge called on Saturday for Manila to file an global arbitration case and a complaint with the United Nations over what the country's leader said was a threat of war made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China and ASEAN committed to drafting the code 15 years ago, and while it should, in theory, tame how they behave in the South China Sea, it remains an open question whether Beijing will be willing to slow construction of artificial islands and pursuit of effective control over disputed territory.
Duterte's speech Friday appeared to be meant to silence domestic critics who have accused him of failing to press the maritime territorial dispute.
Carpio wrote, "As a nation that under its Constitution has renounced war as an instrument of national policy, the Philippines' recourse is to bring China's threat of war to another UNCLOS arbitral tribunal, to secure an order directing China to comply with the ruling of the UNCLOS arbitral tribunal that declared the Reed Bank part of Philippine EEZ".
Speaking to over a dozen journalists from the Philippine press, including ABS-CBN and GMA, Lin said Taiwan has always advocated that the South China Sea dispute should be solved peacefully, and that discussions or negotiations on the issue should not be conducted without Taiwan.
Duterte's approach differs from that of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, who looked to the US for support, including in Manila's bid to take China to court over South China Sea territorial disputes.
He pointed out that China has no veto power in the UN General Assembly.
Camilla Cabello debuts new song at Billboards
She continued, "I couldn't write another song for six months because writing meant I had to feel everything, and I wasn't ready to do that yet".
The document would be submitted to a meeting of the foreign ministers of China and the ASEAN states in August in the Philippines. Despite its vague terms, however, commentators say the finalization of the Code represents a diplomatic coup for the Chinese, "demonstrating that China and its neighbors can resolve their differences just fine without Washington's help". The two sides said they agreed to seek "mutually acceptable approaches" to settling disputes that divided them.
The second leaders-level meeting that the Philippines will convene this year will be held in November, together with ASEAN's dialogue partners such as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
"Well, if you force this, we'll be forced to tell you the truth".
"He is chairman and in our past experiences, it is the chairman (who) sets the tone", he told reporters during the launch of a book on ASEAN at the University of the Philippines on Friday.
Duterte also reiterated on Tuesday he had no immediate plans to pressure Beijing over the arbitral tribunal's ruling.
Beijing said they exchanged views on handling incidents and disputes.
Duterte said, "Now that he is no longer in office, Del Rosario keeps talking". "China - unless it stands to benefit - does not intend to respect the rule of law", he added.
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