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U.S. surprised at Duterte’s separation move from Washington

U.S. surprised at Duterte’s separation move from Washington

Posted October. 22, 2016 08:13,   

Updated October. 22, 2016 08:21

한국어
Surprised at Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to separate from the U.S. and side with China, Washington has decided to urgently send Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel to the Philippines. As President Duterte declared Manila’s effective separation from Washington when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his state visit to China on Thursday, the U.S., which had been paying attention to the situation, is scrambling to figure out the real intention of Manila’s leadership.

Meeting with reporters on Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby commented on the remarks of "separation from the U.S." by the Philippines president, saying, “Because the U.S. and the Philippines are so closely interlinked that it is impossible to break off, and we cannot understand what exactly separation means.” In order to figure out the meaning of separation, the Statement Department has decided to send assistant secretary Russel, who is responsible for Washington’s East Asia policy, to the Pacific island country on Saturday to grasp the situation there.

In a trade and investment forum attended by Philippine businessmen in China on Thursday, Duterte said, “I declare separation from the U.S.” It is an expression‎ that has gone a step further from “It is time to say good bye,” which he remarked in a meeting with Pilipino people living in China on Wednesday. At an event attended by Zhang Gaoli, China’s deputy prime minister for commerce, on Thursday, the Philippines president called U.S. President Barack Obama "son of bitch" once again.

In the wake of the Philippines' declaration of separation, the U.S., which is in dispute with China over the South China Sea, is facing a situation where one of the pillars for its "pivot to Asia" policy is on a shaky ground. The Philippines is a core ally of the U.S. in Asia along with South Korea and Japan. A ranking Washington official said that Duterte is a figure who is as big a headache as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.”

Duterte’s strategy to separate from Washington and side with Beijing, in a complete reversal of the pro-Washington policy by his predecessor Benigno Aquino whose term ended in June, is apparently based on his judgement that his country has more to gain from China than the U.S. Watchers say that Duterte, who is in the early days of his administration, has implemented "selection and focus" to seek economic cooperation with China in a bid to solidify his domestic support base at a time when he sees his approval rating increase due to the war against drug-related crimes that mobilize law enforcement authorities. Xi proposed Duterte to resolve the South China Sea issue through dialogue and agreed on this with the latter, and in return handed the Philippine leader the gift of investments worth 13.5 billion U.S. dollars in the areas of infrastructure, including a high-speed railway project, energy and finance and telecommunication.

There is also a large group of people who are opposed to Duterte’s drastic moves even within the Philippines. According to the local media including the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Friday, Senator Richard Gordon said, “We cannot agree to our separation from the U.S. It is a short-sighted move to leave an old friend to gain just a few things," while Edsel Ragmen, a member of the Philippine House from the largest opposition party Liberal Party, said that the Philippines cannot afford to completely sever ties with the U.S., which is our traditional alley in economy and security. The Philippine military has also a negative view on President Duterte’s opposition to its traditional alley the U.S.



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