Philippines' Duterte plays down China military facilities in disputed sea

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte sought on Monday to allay fears about China's construction of military bases on manmade islands in the South China Sea, saying these were built to defend against America rather than confront neighboring states. Duterte also blamed past governments for not building up the country's defenses in the Spratly archipelago at a time when Beijing was only starting to build its artificial islands and turning them into military bases. On China's construction, he added: "It's not intended for us.

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