Three years into his presidency, and amid crucial mid-term elections, Mr Rodrigo Duterte is facing his gravest foreign policy crisis yet.
Over the past three months, hundreds of Chinese vessels, suspected of belonging to the People's Liberation Army Maritime Militia Forces (PLA-MMF), have swarmed the Philippine-held Thitu Island in the South China Sea.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you