Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his country's "separation" from the United States and aligned himself more closely with China during a speech in Beijing on Thursday.
The recently elected leader has shown an aversion to America and has severed military cooperation since coming into power in the Philippines. Although the Philippines has had conflict with China over control over parts of the South China Sea, the two countries agreed to try again to resolve the issue at a later date as part of their new spirit of cooperation, The Associated Press reported.
The two nations are said to be signing more than $13 billion in trade agreements during Duterte’s visit. “Even as we arrive in Beijing, close to winter, this is a springtime of our friendship,” Duterte said, according to the AP.
“America has lost now. I’ve realigned myself in your ideological flow,” Duterte continued, according to CNN. Duterte did not provide details of what the new friendship would mean or exactly how the relationship between the Philippines and the U.S. would change.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz told CNN, “We have not received any requests from officials to change our alliance.”
The State Department reported being “baffled” by Duterte’s statements and said it would ask for an explanation during top U.S. diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel’s visit to Manila this weekend.
“We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S.,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said, Reuters reported. “It’s not clear to us exactly what that means in all of its ramifications.”
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