Philippines' Duterte says China, Russia supportive when he complained of US

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte gestures while delivering a speech before female police officers during a gathering in Davao city, Philippines September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr

Sun Oct 2, 2016

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday he had received support from Russia and China when he complained to them about the United States, in another broadside that could test his increasingly fragile alliance with Washington.

Duterte said that during a meeting on the sidelines of a leaders' summit in Laos last month, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had agreed with him when he railed against the United States.

"I met with Medvedev, I am revealing it to you now. I told him this is the situation, they are giving me a hard time, they are disrespecting me, they are shameless," Duterte said in a speech.

"He said 'that is really how the Americans are', he said 'we will help you'."

Duterte gave no further details about the nature of his complaints.

His ire towards the United States has intensified since U.S. President Barack Obama said he would raise concerns about his deadly war on drugs.

The White House cancelled a meeting between them in Laos after Duterte had called Obama a "son of a bitch".

Duterte said on Sunday he had raised objections about the United States to China also.

"China said 'side with us, you won't benefit'," Duterte said. It was not immediately clear which Chinese official he was quoting, and when the remark was made.

Duterte has said repeatedly during recent, frequent speeches that he planned to open new alliances with Russia and China, particularly for trade and commerce, as part of his pursuit of an independent foreign policy.

Several commercial and diplomatic sources have confirmed to Reuters that a Philippine business delegation will accompany Duterte on a visit to Beijing from Oct. 19-21.

DOUBTS OVER DEAL

In another swipe at Washington, the firebrand leader said he would review a landmark security deal agreed with the United States, arguing it may not be legally binding because no president had signed off on it.

Duterte's remarks show his intent to challenge or test the limits of a historic alliance that U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday called "ironclad".

That came a day after Duterte declared joint U.S.-Philippines war games starting this week would be "the last".

The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), signed a few days before Obama visited the Philippines in 2014, allows U.S. troops to build storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations.

It also gives broad access to Philippine military bases.

Duterte said the EDCA would be reviewed, because it was signed by the then Philippine defense secretary and the U.S. ambassador, and not the country's president.

Duterte did not explicitly say that he would seek for the deal to be scrapped, but in comments aimed at the United States, he said of EDCA: "It does not bear the signature of the president of the Republic of the Philippines..."

"Better think twice now, because I would be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether."

Under the programme, two C-130 transport planes and 100 U.S. servicemen have been at an air base in the central Philippines since Sept. 25 as part of a two-week exercise.

EDCA was seen by analysts as an agreement designed in part as a deterrent to ward off moves by China to advance its interests in the South China Sea.

Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, John McCain, has previously hailed EDCA as a landmark deal of the kind of significance "not witnessed in decades".

Any indication it could be halted would be a big setback for U.S. efforts to boost its influence in Asia and counter that of a fast-rising China.

Washington's defence agreements with the Philippines, its former colony, are more substantial than with any other country in Southeast Asia.

Duterte's comments come at a time when U.S. defence ties with Thailand, another traditional ally, have been temporarily scaled back following the military's 2014 coup.

EDCA faced a legal challenge from some Philippines lawmakers and activists concerned that it represented a challenge to sovereignty and would make the Philippines a launching pad for U.S. military intervention in the region.

The Supreme Court ruled in January this year that it was constitutional.

(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Mike Collett-White)