THE US Department of State conceded on Saturday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s upcoming state visit to China will be in the best interest of the Philippines and viewed the blooming relationship between Manila and Beijing as a “positive thing.”
“The Philippines’ relationship with China is an important one,” US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said in Washington D.C. “ It’s important to the region, and strong relations between China and the Philippines… is important to regional security.”
“So we don’t view it as any type of slight in any way or overlooking the importance of our own relations, our own bilateral relationship with the Philippines. We view it as a positive thing,” he added.
“Certainly, it’s in the Philippines’ interest to have strong relations in the region. As much as this is an effort in that direction, we would support it,” Toner said.
Duterte will make the state visit with at least 250 businessmen in a bid to reverse Philippine foreign policy after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over the South China Sea maritime dispute.
Duterte, in various speeches, gave all praises to China for not interfering on how he runs the country, and his fight against the illegal drug menace.
China has never recognized the Philippine case, but has been outraged by it, leaving much of the region on edge and fearing retaliation by a country with a rapidly expanding military and coastguard.
Toner also admitted that they are mindful about Duterte’s often-changing rhetoric, amid his threats that he may cut off ties with the Western power.
“While certainly we don’t want to discount some of the rhetoric and some of the things said by the leadership in the Philippines, what we look at most closely is at a working level whether the cooperation and the receptivity of the Philippine government is still there,” Toner said.
The top US diplomat for East Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, had earlier admitted that he was unsure what Duterte’s “panoply” of conflicting statements would mean for Manila’s future security cooperation with Washington.
Toner added that it is his prerogative who to deal with after Duterte plans to pursue various trade and economic deals with China.
“It’s the Philippines’ prerogative to make its own choices in terms of who it engages in these kinds of deals with,” he adds.
Meanwhile, amid Duterte’s rhetoric on stopping the joint military exercises between the Philippines and the US, their Manila embassy announced Friday that they delivered new military equipment to the Philippine Marines to help in counter-terrorism efforts.
“The military equipment was transferred under a US grant program aimed at assisting security forces conducting counterterrorism operations,” the embassy said.
“This equipment will help enhance the communications, situational awareness and protection of Philippine security forces actively engaged in counterterrorism operations in the southern Philippines.
The Philippine Marines will also receive radio training as a part of the US grant program,” it added.
The Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force also received six pallets of the new communications equipment from the US government, which included tactical Harris radios, ballistic helmets, and diving gear, among other items, the embassy said.
The US Embassy has said that the ties between the two countries remained warm despite the unsavory words from Duterte.
Also on Friday, outgoing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg assured that the result of the US presidential elections in November will not change US relations with the Philippines.
Goldberg said US-Philippine alliance is strong regardless of whoever between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democrats’ Hillary Clinton will win in the presidential race.
“I think our commitment to the Philippines is clear. We have been good allies, we will remain good allies,” he pointed out.
“I think that whatever government is in, the United States will value the Philippines as an ally and friend. We have 3.5 million Filipino-Americans and a rich tradition and history, and as allies and friends I don’t think the changes of administration in the US affects that,” he added.
The outgoing ambassador clarified that alleged threats against President Rodrigo Duterte from the Central Intelligence Agency is not true and has no basis.
“But we are friends of the Philippines, we are allies of the Philippines, and we respect the democracy in the Philippines, so I don’t know what that’s all about, quite frankly. But I’ll leave it at that. There is no foundation,” he emphasized.