Duterte: 'Pag year 4001, invade natin 'yung China'

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday maintained that the country cannot afford to go to war with China over Manila-claimed features in the South China Sea.

Over the recent years, Beijing has taken a more assertive stance in the waters, beefing up its reclamation activities in disputed areas and transformed previously submerged features into artificial islands with multi-level buildings and runways.

China has also deployed military aircraft and installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on Manila-claimed reefs.

Duterte, however, refused to provoke the Asian power into war and instead pushed for stronger trade and economic relations as well as the conduct of joint exploration of oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea, the area of the South China Sea being claimed by Manila.

"Hindi naman natin ma-giyera, we cannot retake it," Duterte said in a speech at the 117th anniversary of the Office of the Solicitor General in Pasay City.

"That’s a geopolitics actually. Naglalaro ako ng baraha dito, wala man rin akong magawa, dito muna ‘yang China.'Pag year 4001, tigas na tayo, invade natin ‘yung China, kunin natin ‘yung oil natin. By that time, i-straw mo, wala na. Maski bunbon [Cebuano for buhangin or sand]," he added.

Duterte, meanwhile, directed the Philippine Air Force to expedite the purchase of helicopters.

"I’m giving you until July to produce that production document. I want that helicopters by the end of the year. Mamaya may gulo dito, magkakandahirap naman ako niyan," he said.

The military was supposed to purchase from Canada $233 million worth of Bell 412 choppers but Duterte ordered the cancellation of the deal in February amid the North American nation's concerns the aircraft could be used to fight rebels. — BAP, GMA News