The Philippines is trying to seek a balance between China and the US to protect its interests in the South China Sea, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte clarified his previous declaration in Beijing to separate from the US, analysts said.
Duterte Friday said in an arrival speech in Davao City that he did not mean to cut off ties with the US when he declared separation from the US in Beijing, the Philippine Star reported Saturday.
"When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that. Why? It's to the best interest of my country that we maintain that relationship," Duterte said, adding that the US is the country's treaty ally and home to a large number of Filipino expatriates.
Duterte said that "separation" meant an end to the Philippine foreign policy that closely leaned toward the US, according to the report.
He declared a military and economic separation from the US at an economic forum in Beijing Thursday during his four-day visit to China, saying it was time to say goodbye, The Washington Post reported.
The US State Department said it was "baffled" by Duterte's comments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila from October 22 to 25, Reuters reported Thursday, quoting State Department spokesperson John Kirby.
Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that it is impossible for the Philippines to sever ties with the US.
Chen said that Duterte's remarks in Beijing were no more than an expression of his hyperbolic speaking style as well as a goodwill gesture to China.
"The US needs the Philippines to contain China in the South China Sea," said Chen.
Chen noted that the US-Philippine military alliance will not change, but the US military deployment in the Philippines will slow down as the Philippines tries to seek a balance between the US and China.
"The Philippines used to rely on US military support over South China Sea issues, but at present it needs China's help to develop its economy as well as in his war on drugs," Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
At the end of Duterte's visit on Friday, China and the Philippines released a joint statement saying the two countries will enhance cooperation in various fields, including finance, infrastructure and the fight against illicit drugs, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Gu said that Sino-Philippine ties were strengthened after dipping in the last few years due to the South China Sea issue.
"Duterte is unsatisfied with US interference in the Philippines' domestic affairs," Gu said, adding that the Philippines will strengthen economic cooperation with China while continuing to rely on US military support.
Duterte said in a speech to local officials and business executives earlier this month that he was disappointed with the US for criticizing the Philippines' tactics to combat the drug trade, describing Washington as an unreliable ally, the BBC reported.
Chen also noted a long-existing anti-US sentiment in the Philippines rooted in the US colonization of the country from 1898 to 1935, saying that the sentiment has grown since the Philippine Senate passed a Visiting Forces Agreement in 1995 that allows the US forces to return to the country.
A Philippine survey conducted last month showed that 76 percent of 1,200 respondents trust the US and only 22 percent trusted China, reports said.
[globaltimes.cn]
24/10/16
Duterte Friday said in an arrival speech in Davao City that he did not mean to cut off ties with the US when he declared separation from the US in Beijing, the Philippine Star reported Saturday.
"When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that. Why? It's to the best interest of my country that we maintain that relationship," Duterte said, adding that the US is the country's treaty ally and home to a large number of Filipino expatriates.
Duterte said that "separation" meant an end to the Philippine foreign policy that closely leaned toward the US, according to the report.
He declared a military and economic separation from the US at an economic forum in Beijing Thursday during his four-day visit to China, saying it was time to say goodbye, The Washington Post reported.
The US State Department said it was "baffled" by Duterte's comments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila from October 22 to 25, Reuters reported Thursday, quoting State Department spokesperson John Kirby.
Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that it is impossible for the Philippines to sever ties with the US.
Chen said that Duterte's remarks in Beijing were no more than an expression of his hyperbolic speaking style as well as a goodwill gesture to China.
"The US needs the Philippines to contain China in the South China Sea," said Chen.
Chen noted that the US-Philippine military alliance will not change, but the US military deployment in the Philippines will slow down as the Philippines tries to seek a balance between the US and China.
"The Philippines used to rely on US military support over South China Sea issues, but at present it needs China's help to develop its economy as well as in his war on drugs," Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
- US meddling
At the end of Duterte's visit on Friday, China and the Philippines released a joint statement saying the two countries will enhance cooperation in various fields, including finance, infrastructure and the fight against illicit drugs, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Gu said that Sino-Philippine ties were strengthened after dipping in the last few years due to the South China Sea issue.
"Duterte is unsatisfied with US interference in the Philippines' domestic affairs," Gu said, adding that the Philippines will strengthen economic cooperation with China while continuing to rely on US military support.
Duterte said in a speech to local officials and business executives earlier this month that he was disappointed with the US for criticizing the Philippines' tactics to combat the drug trade, describing Washington as an unreliable ally, the BBC reported.
Chen also noted a long-existing anti-US sentiment in the Philippines rooted in the US colonization of the country from 1898 to 1935, saying that the sentiment has grown since the Philippine Senate passed a Visiting Forces Agreement in 1995 that allows the US forces to return to the country.
A Philippine survey conducted last month showed that 76 percent of 1,200 respondents trust the US and only 22 percent trusted China, reports said.
[globaltimes.cn]
24/10/16
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