Trump meeting with Duterte could help get ties ‘back on track’ as Manila edges closer to China
But observers say even if relations between US and the Philippines improve, Manila will continue to pivot towards Beijing
The Philippines will be looking to get strained relations with the United States on a more stable track when US President Donald Trump travels to Manila next month, but the Southeast Asian nation will also continue its pivot towards China.
Trump and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte will meet on November 13 during the last stop of the US leader’s five-nation Asian tour, as Washington moves to highlight its commitment to Manila.
Relations between the two countries have been tense in recent years, with Duterte – who has long expressed anti-American sentiments – bristling at former US president Barack Obama’s criticism of his notorious war on drugs, which has claimed the lives of more than 7,000 Filipinos.
Still, Washington has been a long-time defence ally of the Philippines, reinforced this week when US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis met Duterte in the Philippines to discuss ways to deepen military ties.
Trump could help get the relationship “back on track” if he and Duterte hit it off in November, said Christopher Primiano, a teaching fellow based at the Ningbo campus of the University of Nottingham.
