PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would not stop China from building structures at the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, arguing that the country could not afford to go to war with its powerful neighbor.

Duterte made the remarks before leaving for a state visit to Myanmar, following reports that Beijing was planning to build an environmental monitoring station in Panatag Shoal, a traditional fishing ground that it seized in 2012.