President Duterte spelled out his foreign-policy pivot to China in the clearest terms yet, telling hundreds of Filipinos in Beijing that “it’s time to say good-bye” to the United States.
“Foreign policy veers now toward” China, Mr. Duterte said on Wednesday night, ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. “No more American interference. No more American exercises,” he told a cheering crowd.
Since President Duterte took office in June, the tough-talking 71-year-old leader has repeatedly questioned his nation’s alliance with the US, while touting the economic benefits of friendlier ties with China. His four-day trip to Beijing marks an opportunity to reset relations that have been strained in recent years over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The President said on Wednesday he would welcome Chinese offers of aid, infrastructure funding and concessional financing. The countries expect to sign about 25 agreements in sectors like infrastructure, energy and telecommunications, including a $3-billion credit facility from Bank of China, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said in an interview in Beijing.
“I will not ask, but if they offer and if they’ll ask me, you need this aid? Of course, we are very poor,” Mr. Duterte said of China. “You need this railway? Yes, sir. And if you can give us a soft loan, give us something like 20 years to pay.”
‘Insulted’
“I will not go to America anymore” for assistance, President Duterte said. “We will just be insulted there.”
The US has been the Philippines’s closest ally since independence in 1946, and the nations are linked by formal defense treaties. Members of Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet have repeatedly tried to tone down his more inflammatory remarks—such as telling President Barack Obama to “go to hell”—and stress that a more independent foreign policy doesn’t mean severing ties with the US.
President Duterte himself told reporters on Wednesday that this trip wouldn’t lead to a military alliance with China or joint energy exploration in disputed seas. The plight of Filipino fishermen seeking to resume activity in the Scarborough Shoal, which China effectively took control of in 2012, will be mentioned “in passing” to Xi, Mr. Duterte said.
‘Zero-sum game’
The US has expressed concern about President Duterte’s policies. Philip Goldberg, the US envoy in Manila, said on Wednesday the Philippines’s efforts to improve ties with China “shouldn’t be a zero-sum game.” Mr. Duterte has lashed out at the US, the United Nations and the European Union for criticizing his drug war over alleged human-rights abuses. According to police data, more than 3,000 suspects have been killed after the policy took effect.
By contrast, the Philippine leader called China “very kind” for funding a drug-rehabilitation center. Hua Chunying, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said on Wednesday Beijing “appreciates President Duterte’s efforts to crack down on drug crimes and improve social security with the fundamental interests and well-being of his country and people in mind.”
She also hailed President Duterte’s efforts to seek a “soft landing” on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. “China and the Philippines are returning to the right path of properly handling relevant issues through bilateral dialogue and consultation regarding the South China Sea issue,” Hua said. “Friendly neighbors are supposed to get along with each other in this way.”
Charm offensive
Duterte was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the heart of Beijing. The two leaders are due to oversee the signing of a raft of agreements between their governments following their discussions.
China has hailed President Duterte’s visit as a step toward ending years of estrangement between the countries. Tensions ran high after the Philippines won a major arbitration lawsuit against Beijing’s massive territorial claims in the South China Sea just three months ago.
Mr. Duterte has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China while defending his country’s claims in the disputed South China Sea.
In Beijing the Philippine leader known for his devil-may-care, profanity-laden speeches said on Wednesday he would not raise the issue that has angered China unless his Chinese counterpart first brought it up, out of “courtesy” to his host.
“As a matter of courtesy and in the Oriental way, you always wait,” President Duterte said ahead of a meeting with members of the Filipino business community in Beijing on Wednesday. “Because I am a visitor, I can’t destroy the goodwill by just blurting out something.”
He also signaled a major shift in reliance on the US, the Philippines’s long-standing defense-treaty ally, telling the Filipino community members: “So it’s about time to say good-bye, my friend. Your stay in my country was for you own benefit.”
He has already said he wants US visiting troops to leave the southern Mindanao region and to President Barack Obama “you can go to hell.” He has also said he would terminate joint combat exercises between Filipino and US troops. “No more American interference. No more American exercises. What for?” he said on Wednesday night. “I will not go to America anymore. We will just be insulted there.” In interviews with Chinese state media published and aired this week, Mr. Duterte has said “only China can help” his country, urging the country not to leave out the Philippines from a regional trade initiative and to give his country a railroad “if you find it in your heart.” Bloomberg News, PNA, AP