At the end of August, Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the U.S. was not interested in "fanning the flames of conflict but rather trying to encourage the parties to resolve their disputes and claims through the legal process and through diplomacy." Duterte has now taken Kerry's advice.
OUCH!!!
Do anyone think the US is going to go to war with China in the South China Seas? I don’t. So pretty smart for Duterte to get the best possible deal with China.
China has been building up its de facto claims to the South China Seas for over 30 years. The US has done nothing across all the different administrations. China has the chess board ready for checkmate.