Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday sought to assure Japan that his high-profile visit to China last week was about economics not security, but he had more harsh words for long-time ally Washington, saying he might end defense treaties.
The volatile leader’s visit to Japan comes amid jitters about his foreign policy goals after weeks of verbal attacks on ally the US and overtures toward China.
Duterte last week in China announced his “separation” from the US, but then insisted ties were not being severed and that he was merely pursuing an independent foreign policy.
His perplexing comments pose a headache for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has tightened ties with Washington while building closer security relations with Manila and other Southeast Asian countries as a counterweight to a rising China.
“You know I went to China for a visit. And I would like to assure you that all there was, was economics. We did not talk about arms. We avoided talking about alliances,” he told an audience of Japanese businessmen.
Calling Japan a “long-standing friend and ally,” he also said the Philippines was trying to improve its business environment and called for Japanese firms to invest more.
Duterte said he did not pick quarrels with his neighbors, but had tough words for Washington, threatening once again to revise or cancel Manila’s defense pacts with the US and insisting the Philippines was not “a dog on a leash.”
“I have declared that I will pursue an independent foreign policy. I want, maybe in the next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops. I want them out,” he said. “And if I have to revise or abrogate agreements, executive agreements, this shall be the last maneuver, war games between the US and the Philippines military.”
Duterte, speaking through a Japanese interpreter at the start of his talks with Abe, said he would stand on Japan’s side in the contentious matter of the South China Sea.
Describing Japan as a “special friend who is closer than a brother,” Duterte said after the meeting that Manila would work closely with Japan on regional issues of common concern and uphold the values of democracy, adherence to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes, including the South China Sea.
Reading from a statement, he added: “Today we have taken steps to ensure that our ties remain vibrant and will gain greater strength in the years to come.”
Abe said he welcomed Duterte’s efforts to improve Manila’s ties with Beijing and said the two leaders had agreed on the importance to settle maritime disputes peacefully, without force.
Later in the day, in a pattern already becoming familiar, Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay tried to soothe concerns raised by the president’s remarks, telling a news conference that Manila would respect treaty obligations as long as mutual interests converged and there was no reason to end them at present.
“There is no reason at this time to terminate our agreements, because our national interests still continue to converge,” Yasay said.
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