SAYING that the United States has “lost now,” President Duterte said he is realigning himself with the “ideological flow” of China as he announced his separation from the United States, both in the military and economic sense.
Duterte was in Beijing, China where he is visiting with at least 200 businessmen to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance.
Both the Philippines and China have also agreed to resume bilateral talks on the South China Sea dispute.
Duterte’s trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 billion in deals would be signed.
“America has lost now. I’ve realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world – China, Philippines and Russia. It’s the only way,” Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in the Great Hall of the People, attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.
“In this venue, your honours, I announce my separation from the United States, both in military, not maybe social, but economics also,” Duterte added, to applause.
China is already set to lift bans on 27 Philippine tropical fruit export companies. Previous sanctions on fruit were intended to punish Manila for its South China Sea stance.
Duterte’s efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal ruling in The Hague over South China Sea disputes in favor of the Philippines, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.
Duterte’s congenial tone in Beijing is in contrast to the language he used with long-time ally Washington, and railed against U.S. criticism of his war on drugs, which has led to the deaths of 2,300 people.
His hard-line drug war tactics have raised concerns in Western capitals about extrajudicial killings, but China has expressed support for the campaign. (with a Reuters report)