US seeks respect after Duterte’s Obama rant

WASHINGTON/TAMPA : Days after Philippines’ new leader Rodrigo Duterte called President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch”, the US state department and Democratic presidential

WASHINGTON/TAMPA : Days after Philippines’ new leader Rodrigo Duterte called President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch”, the US state department and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday stressed the need for ties with Manila to be based on mutual respect for future key alliance.

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Despite US dismay over Duterte’s remarks, though, current and former US officials played down the impact, saying they did not expect any serious damage to ties at a time of high tensions over China’s extensive territorial claims in Asia. The US state department said a planned first meeting between Obama and Duterte on the sidelines of a regional summit in Laos on Tuesday was cancelled because the tone of the Philippine leader’s rhetoric raised questions about the chances of productive talks.

“Words matter, and we want to see an atmosphere that is cordial and open to strong cooperation,” state department spokesman Mark Toner told a briefing.

Clinton, who as secretary of state was an architect of Obama’s policy of emphasising the importance of the Asia Pacific to US interests in the face of a rising China, said Obama was right to cancel the meeting. “When the president of the Philippines insulted our president, it was appropriate and a very low-key way to say: sorry, no meeting.”

“We have a lot of ties between the United States and the Philippines. And I think it’s very important that we have a relationship, but there has to be a certain level of respect that is expected on both sides,” Clinton said.

Duterte made the remark about Obama while explaining that he would not be lectured over extrajudicial killings in the war against drugs.