Tag: Allies

US’ Tillerson visits President Duterte

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday visited President Rodrigo Duterte and received a warm welcome from him.  The move was seen as Washington fearing offending its long-time ally that could push it into the arms of US rival China. The US is backing Philippine troops as they battle to recapture part of a southern region occupied by militants aligned to the Islamic State group. “They did not,” Duterte replied when asked if […]

Merkel warns US, Britain no longer reliable partners

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — Europe “must take its fate into its own hands” faced with a western alliance divided by Brexit and Donald Trump’s presidency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday. “The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I’ve experienced that in the last few days,” Merkel told a crowd at an election rally in Munich, southern Germany. “We Europeans truly have to take our […]

US ‘strongly condemns’ North Korea missile launch: State Dept

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States condemned North Korea’s launch of four ballistic missiles, vowing that Washington was ready to “use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat.”‎ “The United States strongly condemns the DPRK’s ballistic missile launches tonight, which violate UN Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s launches using ballistic missile technology,” the State Department’s acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. Toner added: “We […]

Trump blast rattles alliance with Australia

by Barry PARKER Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Friday was scrambling to come to terms with the realization that decades as one of the closest of US allies may count for little in the “America First” vision of President Donald Trump. Australia has fought alongside the United States in most major conflicts since World War II, including Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, and the current campaign against the […]

N. Korea nuclear attack would trigger ‘overwhelming’ response: Mattis

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Any nuclear attack by North Korea would trigger an “effective and overwhelming” response, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said in Seoul Friday as he sought to reassure Washington’s Asian allies folllowing President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Mattis, who was in South Korea before going on to Japan, is making the first overseas tour by a senior Trump administration official as concerns rise about the direction of US policy in the region under […]