Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said his country would not rely on long-term security ally the US, signaling greater independence from Washington in dealing with China and the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippines has traditionally been one of Washington’s staunchest supporters in its standoff with Beijing over the South China Sea, a vital trade route where China has built artificial islands, airstrips and other military facilities.
Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City who swept to victory in a May 9 election, has backed multilateral talks to settle rows over the South China Sea that would include the US, Japan and Australia, as well as claimant nations.
He has also called on China, which claims most of the sea, to respect the 200-nautical-mile (370km) Exclusive Economic Zone granted to coastal states under international law.
Asked by reporters if he would push for bilateral talks with China, Duterte replied: “We have this pact with the West, but I want everybody to know that we will be charting a course of our own. It will not be dependent on America. And it will be a line that is not intended to please anybody but the Filipino interest.”
Asked about Duterte’s comments at a US Department of State briefing, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel said the US had “no problem whatsoever” with bilateral talks among the South China Sea claimants.
Russel said that some disputes in the South China Sea were by their nature multilateral and could not be resolved on a bilateral basis, but added: “Those that can, we’re all for it.”
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