U.S. Loses Influence and Perhaps a Key Ally in the
Pacific, Posted on Sunday the
23rd of October 2016, by Kerry Lear : Staff Writer
The
relationship between the US and Philippines has been on the rocks for a while
now. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced Thursday that the country
will now be aligned with China.
China
and the Philippines have recently had discussions about how to resolve the
South China Sea dispute. Duterte made this statement while he was on a visit to
Beijing, where he met 200 business people about the new commercial alliance
with China. Apparently, the meeting went well because after the Philippines
president announced a “separation” from the US.
"In
this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the
United States," said Duterte at a forum in the Great Hall of the People.
"Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has
lost." Later announcements indicate this may not be such a hard
separation, however its clear the U.S. has lost substantial influence in the
region.
“Duterte's
efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that
Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought
by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy
since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30,” writes Newsmax.
According
to the Philippines trade secretary, Ramon Lopez the country would be signing up
to $13.5 billion in deals during this trip to China.
Duterte
also plans to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin, distancing the
country even further from the US.
"I've
realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to
talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us
against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way,"
said Duterte.
Duterte’s
predecessor granted the U.S. forces access to bases in the Philippines, but
it’s not likely this agreement will still be allowed by Duterte.
However,
the White House seems to be in denial over how the Philippines and US
relationship is deteriorating.
"The
U.S.-Philippines alliance is built on a 70-year history, rich people-to-people
ties, including a vibrant Filipino-American diaspora, and a long list of shared
security interests," said Ned Price, White House spokesman. "We also
remain one of the Philippines' strongest economic partners; the current stock
of U.S. foreign direct investment stands above $4.7 billion."
Although
Duterte made himself explicitly clear about how he feels about the U.S., his
top economic policymakers issued a statement about how the country wasn’t
turning its back on the west.
"We
will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with
our neighbours," said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Economic
Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia in a joint statement. "We share the
culture and a better understanding with our region." So
will the U.S. be able to reconcile the relationship with the Philippines?
As
long as Duterte is president, not likely. Duterte has been outspoken in
disapproval of the criticism Obama has given him on his war against wars. He
has called Obama a “son of a bitch” and has told him to “go to hell.”
"I
will not go to America anymore. We will just be insulted there," said
Duterte. "So time to say goodbye my friend."
While,
China gave him a red carpet welcome. "I hope we can follow the wishes of
the people and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines
relations back on a friendly footing and fully improve things," said President
Xi Jinping.
Author's note: This is a huge problem for the U.S. We
have already lost our bases in the Philippines, however up until this point, we
have had good relations with the Philippines as an ally. If we lose this
status, it will be a huge disadvantage in any future military engagement in the
Pacific.
Editor's note: The Obama administration has been
condescending to this ally and others (notably Israel), its a wonder we have
any left.
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