The new president of the Philippines has been swift to implement his tough, no-nonsense approach to dealing with the scourge of drugs and narcotics gangs on his nation’s streets. In doing so, Rodrigo Duterte’s straight, street-talking ways have rubbed world leaders the wrong way. He was seen to belittle United States President Barack Obama at the recent summit of leaders from South East Asian Nations in Laos.
Now, Duterte plans to end joint military drills with the US to emphasise his country’s independence from that country. Duterte on Wednesday announced his intention to put an end to the regular military exercises between the US and the Philippines armed forces in a speech in Vietnam, where he was on an official visit. On Thursday, however, Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay clarified that Duterte was referring to joint patrols in international waters.
In recent weeks, Duterte has been reaching out to Russia and China and moving away from the US — a country that has historically been one of its major allies.
So far, both countries have maintained the same strategy against Beijing in the South China Sea territorial dispute, with Washington supporting Manila in the modernisation and training of its armed forces. Although Duterte has assured that he will respect the military agreements that allow the US to use Philippines bases and increase its presence in the region, he has also expressed on numerous occasions his desire to seek a more independent foreign policy. Manila has every right to do so. But what’s not helping is the manner in which Duterte seems to make announcements on the fly. That impulsiveness can be considered a sign of weakness and given China’s ambition in the South China Sea, weakness is certainly not an asset.
