MANILA -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has broken his silence over the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese vessel, saying the June 9 collision in the South China Sea was just a "a little maritime accident."
International relations
'A little accident' -- Duterte plays down China sinking of fishing boat
Philippines are unlikely to bring up the issue at the upcoming ASEAN summit
On becoming president in 2016, Duterte abandoned Manila's hard-line stance toward Beijing on the South China Sea. (Source photos by AP / Kosaku Mimura)
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