Duterte’s China trip to hurt US?

BEIJING: “My grandfather is Chinese,” Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told the official Xinhua news agency during an interview last week, possibly in an attempt

BEIJING: “My grandfather is Chinese,” Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told the official Xinhua news agency during an interview last week, possibly in an attempt to warm up his past with China.

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But as he began a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday, Duterte’s focus was surely be on the future of Manila’s relations with Beijing.

Strongman Duterte’s high-profile visit comes amid his anti-drug war, criticised by many as brutal and ruthless as it has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people. Western countries have questioned his methods of dealing with the menace and talked about the violation of human rights and political vendetta. China, however, has issued several statements supporting Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign and vowed to stand by him.

As the old alliance between the US and the Philippines frays, the visit will be keenly watched for signs of Manila moving away from Washington and into the willing diplomatic arms of Beijing.

“For more than a century, the Philippines and the US have had a shared history of colonialism, wars, rebellion, aid and deep economic ties. That could change as Duterte’s three-month-old administration re-examines the relationship,” said a Reuters report from Manila. But barely three months ago, Manila and Beijing were engaged in a war of words over the South China Sea arbitration case brought by Duterte’s predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China.