Philippines president cozies up to China after talking tough about the U.S.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, center, walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, Wednesday.
BEIJING >> Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing as part of a charm offensive aimed at seeking trade and support from the Asian giant by setting aside a thorny territorial dispute.
Duterte was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing. The two leaders are due to oversee the signing of a raft of agreements between their governments following their discussions.
China has hailed Duterte’s visit as a step toward ending years of estrangement between the countries. Tensions ran high after the Philippines won a major arbitration lawsuit against Beijing’s massive territorial claims in the South China Sea just three months ago.
Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country’s claims in the disputed South China Sea.
In Beijing, the Philippine leader known for his devil-may-care, profanity-laden speeches said Wednesday he would not raise the issue that has angered China unless his Chinese counterpart first brought it up, out of “courtesy” to his host.
“As a matter of courtesy and in the Oriental way, you always wait,” Duterte said ahead of a meeting with members of the Filipino business community in Beijing on Wednesday. “Because I am a visitor, I can’t destroy the goodwill by just blurting out something.”
He also signaled a major shift in reliance on the U.S., the Philippines’ long-standing defense treaty ally, telling the Filipino community members: “So it’s about time to say good-bye, my friend. Your stay in my country was for you own benefit.”
He has already said he wants U.S. visiting troops to leave the southern Mindanao region and to President Barack Obama “you can go to hell.” He has also said he would terminate joint combat exercises between Filipino and U.S. troops.
“No more American interference. No more American exercises. What for?” he said Wednesday night. “I will not go to America anymore. We will just be insulted there.”
In interviews with Chinese state media published and aired this week, Duterte has said “only China can help” his country, urging the country not to leave out the Philippines from a regional trade initiative and to give his country a railroad “if you find it in your heart.”
But the overtures have drawn criticism of Duterte at home in the Philippines, where the public is wary of taking a deferential attitude to a country regarded as a bully.
His visit is being watched by Washington for signs of just how seriously the new Philippine leader intends to pursue a shift away from Washington and toward Beijing, a move that could have a major impact on regional power dynamics.
21 responses to “Philippines president cozies up to China after talking tough about the U.S.”
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Ill be surprised if this guy is still alive by the end of next year. If the Philippine military doesn’t take him out, some major drug gang may or if the US determines staying in the Philippines is important the CIA will. What a idiot
Thanks to yet another instance of arrogant, clumsy meddling by the current occupant of the White House – – gratuitously condemning Philippine President Duterte’s attempt to curb narcotics in his country – – said occupant and by extension America have been told to go to hell. One wonders if we are now about to witness an historic Sino-Philippine alliance that will substantially shift the balance of power in East Asia.
Thus does the “transformational” foreign policy train wreck – – beginning with the bust of Churchill being dumped from the Oval Office on day one, followed by spitting on other traditional allies and cozying up to America loathing, dictatorial regimes – – continue to wreak havoc, weakening us abroad as intended,
And all because of the cavalier tinkering, incompetence, stupidity and carelessness that characterize the putrescent “performance” of the Obama/Clinton duo.
Trump is right: Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton offers America nothing but a third Obama term in office.
“Curb narcotics”? Without any process, let alone due process?
I agree with Hitaxpayer, i smell a coup, the military knows what is at stake.
Dope users deserve only one “process”: eradication.
We have wasted decades and billions on the kind of permissive approach you favor. The evidence is overwhelming: it simply does not work.
Mao Zedong and Rodrigo Duterte understand this. Folks like you will NEVER understand it.
No users, no demand, no profit, nomorem the dope.
Good luck on reaching deals with Chinese Businessmen. They ain’t in it for charity, unless they can make big bucks they won’t do anything for the Filipinos. And Duterte is just there to beg. China, per capita, ranks near the bottom in making charitable contributions to other countries.
I believe the word “Oriental” is considered derogatory to Chinese and Japanese. TuDirty is TuDumb to realize that.
Not derogatory, just outdated.
Outdated is more like it. Orientals are preferred to be called Asians. Colored or Negro are Blacks or African American. Mexicans prefer to be called Hispanic or Latinos. Changes of the time.
I respectfully suggest that “African American” is misleading and obsolescent.
A better appellation would be fellow Americans of African Ancestry as befits a race of strong, brilliant competitive people who not only survived unbelievable hardship but rebounded and raced to the top in every field from which artificial (racist) restrictions were lifted – – literature, medicine, music, sports of all kinds, entertainment, you name it.
Americans of African Ancestry are a God given gift to America and we should thank God for them. And, oh yes, start treating them a heck of a lot better than we are now doing, ESPECIALLY their children who are so often denied their intellectual birthright by a public education system that has been failing for the last half century with ZERO improvement.
Is the balance of power waning for the US in favor of the Russians and Chinese? One would think so with the “red-line” debacle, the reclaiming of reefs into landing strips and radar stations in the South China Sea area. Technology currently favor us, but cloning of our military weaponry has pregressed alarmingly. Their space capability has improved as evidenced by their space exploration capabilities by themselves. We have to cooperate with and share our space exploration with the Russians, Cannot discount China as a major player in the Pacific?
Sure seems like it. After eight years of Obama I/you can understand why. Now with Clinton poised to take over it looks like the rats (yes, Duterte is a rat) are jumping from the sinking ship.
Make a deal with the devil, pay for it tenfold later. Duerte will probably lean the hard way that this is the case.
Yep.
What Rodrigo Duterte may learn in teaming up with the PRC is how alike he and Mao Zedong are when it comes to EFFECTIVELY eradicating dope.
When Mao’s Red Army finally prevailed over Chiang Kai-Sheck’s Kuomintang in 1949, he inherited arguably THE most opium saturated society in history.
Three years later the dope was gone.
How did he do it?
Public offer of amnesty for six months during which those who came forward were accepted for “treatment” (cold turkey behind barbed wire) after which anyone caught importing, carrying, dealing, selling, growing, using &c. was guilty of a capital offense and executed.
So powerful is the lure of mind numbing substances coupled with legendary profits, rigor is the only way to purge a people of dope.
“Duterte was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing.” and Obama couldn’t even get stairs to get out of his plane.
I expect that the ChiComs have paid Duterte very handsomely for cozying up to them. I suspect that some time down the road, we will learn how Duterte has enriched himself and
sold out his country. Also given that Duterte has made it clear that he is socialist which is just another form of communism, it is not a surprise that he feels more comfortable with
the ChiComs.
delete “chicoms”- insert arab country of your choice–delete”duterte”-insert Clinton and see how that message plays out.
Who can blame them. China is on the rise & we are on the decline.
We are indeed on the decline.
And why?
Because we foolishly let an utterly unqualified, self infatuated blow hard enter the Oval Office based ONLY on the color of his skin.
Doubt that?
Try this: imagine a person with a virtually blank resume who had never held a real job (let alone a top executive position) in his life showing up at the Iowa Caucus in 2008 claiming the Presidency would be his . . . and who was WHITE. How many nano seconds would it have taken for him to be dismissed with uproarious glee in which the distinctive cackle of Shrillary would out screech everyone else?
You see it is every bit as racist to vote FOR someone because of the hue of his epidermis as it is to vote AGAINST someone for the same shallow reason.
One day Philippines going to be part of China if Mr D has his way. Most of everything for sale in the Philippines are the cheap stuff made from China for Chinese. So to deal with America when 98% of the people can’t afford American made products. Not a bad idea making them good buddies.
Good bye P.I. It was great being your friend. Thanks for all the lumpia, pancit, hot chicks, and nurses. Now that you’ve decided to part ways with us, we wish you luck and happiness. Bye.
Sorry, I don’t know how to say Felicia in Tagalog.