Did Rodrigo Duterte’s China gamble pay off?
Philippines President met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Thursday, state media reported, as he seeks closer ties between the two countries, which had soured over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Xi welcomed Duterte with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday and said that the two countries had agreed to achieve “full improvement” in bilateral ties.
The two leaders signed some 13 bilateral deals including trade, investment, tourism, crime and drug prohibition, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
However, there was no specific agreement about the South China Sea, where the two have overlapping maritime claims. They agreed to address the matter through talks, according to Chinese vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin.
Before meeting Xi, Duterte had told reporters that the issue “would take a back seat.”
The usually brash and outspoken Duterte appeared much more statesmanlike in China than he has on previous trips overseas, said Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science professor at De La Salle University, Manila,
“Duterte has been careful not to slight his hosts, he’s been very deferential to the Chinese. It’s raised eyebrows in the Philippines but pleased people in China,” he said.
Pivot
Duterte’s pivot towards China comes as relations with long-time ally the United States are at an all-time low.
At a press conference in Laos in September, he called US President Barack Obama a son of a bitch, when asked what he would say if Obama was critical about his anti-drug efforts, which critics say violate human rights.
The two leaders both attended the ASEAN summit a few days later. They didn’t speak and only briefly shook hands.
Earlier in October, President Duterte confirmed that his country would not participate in joint military drills with the US that are set for next year. He did say, however, that the treaty alliance with the US would remain intact.
By contrast, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Duterte’s war on drugs this week, according to state broadcaster CCTV, saying he takes the fundamental interests and welfare of the Philippines’ people into consideration.
Support?
Duterte has huge popularity ratings in the Philippines but his tilt away from Washington may not be supported by most Filipinos.
A recent opinion poll of 1,200 adults found that the trust rating of the United States stood at +66 compared with -33 for China.
“Duterte has made extra effort to sell China as a benevolent partner but it’s a tough sell,” said Heydarian
Ties with China hit a low in July, when the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled that China’s historical claim to the disputed waters was invalid.
China refused to participate in the tribunal’s proceedings and, in the wake of the ruling, Chinese boycotted Philippines-grown dried mango.
It’s was a huge victory that Duterte has chosen not to capitalize on despite once pledging to ride into the South China Sea on a jet ski while carrying the Philippines flag.
Instead, said Heydarian, Duterte has chosen to focus on China’s deeper pockets in the hope of lucrative trade deals.
