MANILA (Reuters) - The United States remains the “closest friend” of the Philippines but Manila wants to break away from a “mindset of dependency and subservience” and forge closer ties with other nations, the Philippine foreign minister said on Saturday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with reporters during a news conference upon his arrival from a four-day state visit in China at the Davao International Airport in Davao city, Philippines October 21, 2016. REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr.

The comments by Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay came two days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from Washington, though he went on to strike a more conciliatory tone on Friday.

Yasay said in a Facebook posting that Duterte had “unmistakably” stated that severing ties with Washington was not in the nation’s interest.

However, he wrote that separation “implies breaking away from the debilitating mindset of dependency and subservience - economically and militarily - that have perpetuated our ‘little brown brother’ image to America, which has stunted our growth and advancement.”

He said Duterte had told Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing that “if they are not willing to lend their support... the Filipinos will chart their destiny alone, despite great odds.”

Yasay’s posting is the latest sign of an administration once again scrambling to put out fires after Duterte’s stunning declarations, which if delivered upon could upset the geopolitical balance in a region where China and the United States are vying aggressively for influence.

On Friday, Duterte’s economic managers were quick to clarify the Philippines was not cutting economies and trade ties with the United States.

Prior to Duterte taking office in late June, China was a bitter rival of the Philippines, and Manila was one of Washington’s most dependable Asian allies.

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.

“It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that,” Duterte told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao after he arrived from his four-day trip to Beijing.

Duterte’s abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however. On Tuesday, an opinion poll showed Filipinos still trust the United States far more than China. </s> Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday he did not mean he would cut off ties with the United States when he said in China that he was separating from the U.S., adding it’s in his country’s best interest to stay with America.

Despite the clarification, the tough-talking president kept up on his tirades against the U.S., saying in a late-night speech in his southern hometown of Davao city that he would never travel to America “in this lifetime.”

At an economic forum Thursday in Beijing, where he made a state visit, Duterte declared “my separation from the United States ... both in military and economics also.” His pronouncement was met with applause, but Duterte did not explain what he exactly intended to do and when.

Duterte, however, said in an arrival speech in Davao that he was not severing ties with his country’s treaty ally that is home to a large number of Filipino expatriates.

“When you say severance of ties, you cut the diplomatic relations. I cannot do that. Why? It’s to the best interest of my country that we maintain that relationship,” Duterte said, adding that Filipinos were not ready to embrace such an option.

What he meant by his remarks in China, Duterte said, was ending a Philippine foreign policy that closely leaned toward the U.S.

Ahead of his China visit, Duterte made a series of pronouncements to curb Philippine security engagements with the U.S., including the removal of American counterterrorism forces in the country’s south and his opposition to planned joint patrols with the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea. He also wanted to stop annual joint combat exercises the Philippines hosted alongside the U.S. military that China opposes.

Duterte has said he did not want to embroil the Philippines in an unwinnable war with China, which could instead be tapped as a major trading partner and source of development funds.

U.S. officials said they have not received any formal Philippine notice of Duterte’s pronouncements, adding the alliance benefits both countries and should continue to blossom.

Duterte’s reaching out to China, which has been locked in longstanding territorial disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea, and his severe criticisms of the U.S. has come under fire.

Former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who brought the triumphant arbitration case against China over the disputes, said Duterte’s shift from Washington to Beijing should be regarded “a national tragedy.”

“The declared shift in foreign policy, casting aside a long-time reliable ally to hastily embrace an aggressive neighbour that vehemently rejects international law, is both unwise and incomprehensible,” del Rosario said in a statement.

“What is unfolding before us must be considered a national tragedy, which does not need to happen,” he said.

The criticism by del Rosario, a respected Asian diplomat, is among the strongest so far of Duterte’s declared policy to back away from America while reaching out to China and Russia. His main political ally, former President Fidel Ramos, has also criticized Duterte’s profane tirades against President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

As the foreign secretary of Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, del Rosario spearheaded the filing of an arbitration case that challenged the validity of China’s claims to virtually the entire South China Sea. In its July ruling, the tribunal invalidated China’s claims under a 1982 U.N. treaty in an embarrassing defeat that Beijing has ignored.

The U.S. and its Western and Asian allies have called on China to respect the outcome.

At the end of Duterte’s trip to China, both countries announced in a joint statement several trade and business deals and closer co-operation on a range of concerns. They added they have resumed dialogue on the South China Sea.

There was no mention of the arbitration ruling or Duterte’s call for China to respect the rights of Filipinos to fish in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, where Beijing’s coast guard ships continue to drive them away. But both sides agreed to continue talking.

“Without prejudice to other mechanisms, a bilateral consultation mechanism can be useful, which will meet regularly on current and other issues of concern to either side on the South China Sea,” the joint statement said. </s> (CNN) Rodrigo Duterte left no room for doubt about where his allegiance lies.

In a state visit aimed at cozying up to Beijing as he pushes away from Washington, the Philippine President announced his military and economic "separation" from the United States.

"America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow," he told business leaders in Beijing on Thursday. "And maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

Duterte didn't provide details about how he'd break away from the United States, or what the separation could entail.

US officials stressed the long history of diplomatic, military and financial ties between the two countries.

"We have not received any requests from officials to change our alliance," Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reports aboard Air Force One Thursday.

In China, leaders said they were ready to start a new chapter.

Relations between China and the Philippines had soured over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

But now Duterte is taking a different tack, pushing that issue to the background as he tries to forge closer ties with China.

So far, it seems to be, said Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science professor at De La Salle University, Manila.

The usually brash and outspoken Duterte appeared much more statesmanlike in China than he has on previous trips overseas, said Heydarian.

"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.

Chinese President Xi Jingping welcomed Duterte with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday.

The two leaders signed some 13 bilateral deals including pacts on 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.

Duterte's pivot toward China comes as relations with long-time ally the United States are at an all-time low.

At a news 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. Since Duterte took office, hundreds of drug dealers and users have been killed in police operations.

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.

It's unclear how Duterte's latest statement could alter ties with the United States.

Asked to respond to the announcement Thursday, US National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said the United States and the Philippines share a long list of security interests and a 70-year history of "rich people-to-people ties."

"Duterte has made extra effort to sell China as a benevolent partner but it's a tough sell," said Heydarian.

Instead, said Heydarian, Duterte has chosen to focus on China's deeper pockets in the hope of lucrative trade deals. </s> Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday he was not severing ties with the United States, but wanted to "separate" Manila's foreign policy from that of Washington.

"What I was really saying was separation of foreign policy," Duterte said, as he attempted to clarify what he meant when he announced his "separation" from the United States at a business forum in the presence of Chinese leaders.

"It need not dovetail the foreign policy of America. That's what I meant," Duterte told a media briefing after arriving home from his four-day trip to China. "It's not severance of ties...I cannot do that." </s> Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (R) flies to Russia Monday to meet his hero Vladimir Putin, seen together on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Lima in 2016, seek arms and steer his nation's foreign policy course further away from longtime ally the United States (AFP Photo/Mikhail KLIMENTYEV)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Russia on Monday to meet his hero, seek arms and steer his nation's foreign policy further away from longtime ally the United States.

The five-day trip will cement a dramatic improvement in relations with Russia since Duterte came to power last year and began unravelling his country's decades-long alliances with the United States, which he accuses of hypocrisy and bullying.

"Russia must cease to be at the margins of Philippine diplomacy. Overdependence on traditional partners has limited our room to manoeuvre in a very dynamic international arena," Duterte told reporters before leaving.

"This is a strategic oversight that has led to many missed opportunities for our country. I am determined to correct this."

The trip will also be personal for Duterte, who has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as his "favourite hero" and proclaimed a bond because of mutual passions such as guns and hunting. The pair are due to meet on Thursday.

Since assuming the presidency Duterte has sought to build strong alliances with China and Russia while moving away from the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and most important military ally.

He has scaled down the number and scope of annual military exercises with the United States, barred Filipino forces from joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea and called for the withdrawal of US troops from the Philippines.

US military ties have been loosened even though China is expanding its presence into Philippine-claimed waters in the South China Sea.

Duterte said last week that Chinese President Xi Jinping had threatened to go to war with the Philippines over the territorial row.

But Duterte, a self-described socialist, has been determined to reduce the Philippines' reliance on the United States and build much closer ties with China and Russia.

"My visit underscores the independence of the Philippines’ foreign policy and the firm resolve to broaden the horizons of friendship and cooperation with other nations," he said on Monday.

China and Russia have supported or at least not criticised Duterte's controversial war on drugs, which has left thousands of people dead and led to warnings by rights groups that he may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.

Duterte has railed against the United States, particularly when Barack Obama was president, for criticising the drug war.

On a state visit to China last year he announced the Philippines' "separation" from the United States.

"I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world -- China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," he said at that time.

Duterte and Putin first met on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru last November.Since then, two Russian Navy flotillas have visited Manila.

"The Russians are with me, I shall not be afraid," Duterte said while touring the Russian Navy's guided missile cruiser Varyag during a port visit to Manila last month.

Duterte said last week one of the top priorities of his trip to Russia was to secure precision-guided bombs to use on Islamic militants in the southern Philippines.

He had also previously said he hoped the Philippines would soon be able to start acquiring other Russian weapons.

The Philippines and Russia established diplomatic ties 41 years ago but until Duterte took office relations remained relatively low-key.

This was partly due to Manila's alliance with the United States.

Philippine-Russian trade last year totalled just $226 million, according to government data, while Philippine-US trade was worth more than $18 billion last year.

Duterte's visit to Moscow will be a "propaganda victory for Putin and a soft-power coup for Russia", analyst Richard Javad Heydarian told AFP.

"It will be their way of poking the eye of America." </s> Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Thursday (AP photo)

BEIJING — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from the United States on Thursday, declaring that it had “lost” and he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

Duterte made his comments in China, where he is visiting with at least 200 businesspeople to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally the United States deteriorate.

His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 billion in deals would be signed

Duterte’s efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal ruling in the Hague over South China Sea disputes in favour of the Philippines, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

“America has lost now,” Duterte told Chinese and Philippine businesspeople at a forum in the Great Hall of the People, attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

“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,” he added.

“With that, in this venue, your honours, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States,” Duterte said to applause. “I have separated from them. So I will be dependent on you for all time. But do not worry. We will also help as you help us.”

China has pulled out all the stops to welcome Duterte, including a marching band complete with batton-twirling band master at his official welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People, which most leaders do not get.

President Xi Jinping, meeting Duterte earlier in the day, called the visit a “milestone” in ties.

Xi told Duterte that China and the Philippines were brothers and they could “appropriately handle disputes”, though he did not mention the South China Sea in remarks made in front of reporters.

“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,” Xi said.

Following their meeting, during which Duterte said relations with China had entered a new “springtime”, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the South China Sea issue was not the sum total of relations.

“The two sides agreed that they will do what they agreed five years ago, that is to pursue bilateral dialogue and consultation in seeking a proper settlement of the South China Sea issue,” Liu said.

China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

In 2012, China seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds.

Liu said the shoal was not mentioned and he did not answer a question about whether Philippine fishermen would be allowed there. He said both countries had agreed on coastguard and fisheries cooperation, but did not give details.

Duterte’s tone towards Beijing is in contrast to the language he has used against the United States, after being infuriated by US criticism of his bloody war on drugs.

He has called US President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch” and told him to “go to hell” while alluding to severing ties with the old colonial power.

On Wednesday, to the cheers of hundreds of Filipinos in Beijing, Duterte said Philippine foreign policy was veering towards China.

“I will not go to America anymore. We will just be insulted there,” Duterte said. “So time to say goodbye my friend.”

The same day, about 1,000 anti-US protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Manila calling for the removal of US troops from the southern island of Mindanao.

Duterte on Wednesday said the South China Sea arbitration case would “take the back seat” during talks, and that he would wait for the Chinese to bring up the issue rather than doing so himself.

Xi said issues that could not be immediately resolved should be set aside, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

China has welcomed the Philippines approaches, even as Duterte has vowed not to surrender any sovereignty to Beijing, which views the South China Sea Hague ruling as null and void.

China has also expressed support for his drug war, which has raised concern in Western capitals about extrajudicial killing.

Duterte’s overtures to China have been accompanied by signs of improving business ties with the world’s second largest economy.

China’s Liu said Beijing will restore Philippine agricultural exports to China and provide financing for Philippine infrastructure. </s> (CNN) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has clarified his comments that seemed to call for a split from the United States , saying he was advocating a "separation of foreign policy" rather than "a severance of ties."

Addressing a press conference in Davao City after his return from a state visit to China, Duterte said:

"It is not severance of ties. You say severance of ties, you cut the diplomatic relations. I cannot do that.

"Why? It is in the best interest of my country that we maintain that relationship. Why? Because there are many Filipinos in the United States. Well, Americans of Filipino ancestry.

"Why? Because the people of my country [are] not ready to accept. I said separation -- what I was really saying was separation of a foreign policy. "

"America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow," Duterte told business leaders Thursday in Beijing.

"And maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

In a statement Friday, Duterte's office said the Philippines had no intention to renege on treaties or agreements with allies.

The President's comments were "an assertion that we are an independent and sovereign nation, now finding common ground with friendly neighbors with shared aspirations in the spirit of mutual respect, support and cooperation," the statement said.

Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN that the Philippines "would not stop trade and investment with the US."

"(Duterte) has decided to strengthen further and rekindle the ties with China and the ASEAN region," Lopez said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest described Duterte's comments as "personal," "offensive" and "confusing."

The US Embassy in Manila blasted Duterte's comments as "creating unnecessary uncertainty."

"We've seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently, which is inexplicably at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments," embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said in a statement.

The United States will honor its alliance commitments and treaty obligations, and expects the Philippines to do the same, she added.

Beijing rejected a recent international court ruling in Manila's favor and has long called for bilateral negotiations in which other parties do not participate.

In a statement, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Duterte's willingness to address "territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means ... through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned."

In Manila, many greeted the news with shock.

"Maybe he's only joking," saleswoman Marisa Laguitan, 59, said.

"America is very friendly and a very long (term) friend of Filipinos."

Ian Duly, 34, said he had nothing against the United States, but "it's about time for a change."

"I believe in Duterte," he added. "It's about standing up for your people."

Speaking to CNN Philippines, one call center worker worried about the effect the move could have on her industry.

"What if BPOs disappear in the Philippines? We won't have a job," she said, referring to business process outsourcing.

Lopez, the trade minister, dismissed concerns that Duterte's shift would endanger the country's economy.

"What we are saying is that there will be less dependence just on one side of the world," he told CNN.

"As you know, we have been strong partners with the US so it's basically just trying to balance the partnership and also strengthening this side of the world, specifically with China."

He said Duterte was pursuing an independent and "more sovereign" foreign policy, adding that the US-Philippines relationship was strong and "cannot just be eliminated."

Duterte's opponents at home were damning, however.

"(He) has a really inflated, if not delusional, view of himself as a strongman at the level of China and Russia's leadership," Sen. Leila de Lima, a longtime Duterte, said in a statement.

Former Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario warned of cozying up to a country such as China that doesn't share "our core values of democracy (and) respect for human rights."

"Casting aside a longtime reliable ally to hastily embrace an aggressive neighbor that vehemently rejects international law is both unwise and incomprehensible," he said in a statement. </s> Duterte says Philippines not cutting ties with allies

MANILA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday his country was not cutting ties with its allies, a day after he called for the withdrawal of U.S. special forces.

"We are not going to cut our umbilical cord to countries we are allied with," Duterte said in a speech at a Philippine air force event.

Duterte also said the Philippines does not intend to fight any other country. </s> The comments by Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay came two days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from Washington, though he went on to strike a more conciliatory tone on Friday.

Yasay said in a Facebook posting that Duterte had "unmistakably" stated that severing ties with Washington was not in the nation's interest.

However, he wrote that separation "implies breaking away from the debilitating mindset of dependency and subservience - economically and militarily - that have perpetuated our 'little brown brother' image to America, which has stunted our growth and advancement."

He said Duterte had told Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing that "if they are not willing to lend their support... the Filipinos will chart their destiny alone, despite great odds."

Yasay's posting is the latest sign of an administration once again scrambling to put out fires after Duterte's stunning declarations, which if delivered upon could upset the geopolitical balance in a region where China and the United States are vying aggressively for influence.

On Friday, Duterte's economic managers were quick to clarify the Philippines was not cutting economies and trade ties with the United States.

Prior to Duterte taking office in late June, China was a bitter rival of the Philippines, and Manila was one of Washington's most dependable Asian allies.

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.

"It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that," Duterte told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao after he arrived from his four-day trip to Beijing.

Duterte's abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however. On Tuesday, an opinion poll showed Filipinos still trust the United States far more than China.
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte says he plans to cut ties with his country's former colonial ruler, the United States, while strengthening ties with China.