Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered Filipino troops to deploy on unoccupied South China Sea islands and reefs claimed by Manila, in a move that could provoke rival claimants including Beijing. In a surprise announcement, Duterte told reporters he has ordered soldiers to build structures on Philippine-claimed islands and reefs in the strategically located Spratly archipelago. "I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all," he said during a visit to a military camp on the western Philippine island of Palawan, the largest land mass close to the Spratly group.



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