Benigno Aquino, president of the Philippines, has warned that Beijing may seek to repeat its tactics of exploring for oil in disputed areas of the South China Sea, this time in waters close to the Philippine coast.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Aquino said China was playing a “dangerous game of brinkmanship and gunboat diplomacy” that could spiral out of control.
The president said he had received reports about the intrusion by a Chinese research ship near the Philippine oilfield of Galoc about 60 miles off the coast of the island province of Palawan. “Normally what happens to Vietnam eventually happens to the Philippines,” he said, referring to a pattern of escalation by Beijing against countries with which it has territorial disputes.