However, he said he will want to maintain friendly ties with China.

Tensions over the regional sea, which China claims almost entirely, have spiked as Beijing refuses to withdraw its vessels from the Philippines’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and as Manila steps up maritime patrols, reports Al Jazeera.

“I’ll tell China, we do not want trouble, we do not want war. But if you tell us to leave – no,” Duterte told the news channel.

“There are things which are not really subject to a compromise, such as us pulling back. It’s difficult. I hope they understand, but I have the interest of my country also to protect," he said.