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>On visit to China the leader repeats his denunciation of Barack Obama as a ‘son of a whore’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

President Rodrigo Duterte met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Thursday, state media said, as the Philippines’ leader seeks closer ties with the Asian giant while blasting his US allies.



Duterte is in China for a four-day trip that is expected to confirm his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing’s sphere of influence.

The two leaders were to hold official talks and sign a “series of cooperation documents”, the official Xinhua news service reported.

Philippines secret death squads: officer claims police teams behind wave of killings Read more

Duterte is hoping to take advantage of Beijing’s deep pockets to score a raft of trade and infrastructure deals.

His recent rhetoric blasting the US and President Barack Obama and promising to sideline a territorial dispute over the strategically vital South China Sea has been welcomed in Beijing.

During a speech addressing the Filipino community in Beijing Wednesday, the firebrand president said the Philippines had gained little from its long alliance with the US, its former colonial ruler.

“Your stay in my country was for your own benefit. So time to say goodbye, my friend,” he said, as if addressing the US.

He also repeated his denunciation of Obama as a “son of a whore”.

China, he said earlier, was “good”. “It has never invaded a piece of my country all these generations.”

Foreign policy under Duterte has dramatically shifted from that pursued under predecessor Benigno Aquino, who took Beijing to an international tribunal over its extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea – where it has built artificial islands capable of hosting military facilities – and won a resounding victory.

The move infuriated Beijing. But Duterte, who took office in June shortly before the tribunal ruling, has made a point of not flaunting the outcome.

He has also suspended joint US-Philippine patrols in the South China Sea, and has threatened an end to joint military exercises.

The South China Sea is of intense interest to Washington and it has repeatedly spoken out on the various territorial disputes between China and its neighbours over the strategically vital waters.

In 2012, China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Tensions have risen between the US and China over Washington’s so-called “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific, a move that Beijing says is intended to contain it.

Duterte was scheduled to meet with Premier Li Keqiang later in the day.</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he would not sever his nation’s alliance with the United States, as he clarified his announcement that he planned to “separate”.

“It’s not severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations. I can not do that. Why? It’s in the best interests of my country that I don’t do that,” Duterte told reporters in his hometown of Davao after returning from China.

The firebrand leader signalled on Thursday during his four-day state visit to Beijing that he intended to end the Philippines’ 70-year alliance with the United States in favour of China and Russia.

“I announce my separation from the United States,” Duterte told a group of Chinese businessmen.

“America has lost. 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.”

Until Duterte took office on June 30, the Philippines had been one of the United States’ most important and loyal allies in Asia, and a key to President Barack Obama’s “pivot” to the region.

But since becoming president Duterte has done a dramatic foreign policy U-turn that has baffled Washington.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that the United States would seek clarification from the Philippines about the “separation” remark.

“It’s not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications,” he said.

Duterte on Saturday gave a series of comments to clarify those remarks.

“Sever is to cut. Separate is just to chart another way of doing,” he said.

“What I’m really saying was separation of foreign policy, which in the past and until I became president, we always followed what the United States would give the cue.”

Nevertheless, Duterte launched another tirade against the United States for criticising his war on crime, which has left more than 3,600 people dead and raised fears about extrajudicial killings.

Duterte said a defence pact signed in 2014, known by the acronym of EDCA and which allows for a much greater US military presence in the Philippines, remained in jeopardy.

“It will affect EDCA and the rest of the agreements, maybe, I will have to consult the military, the police and everybody,” he said.

Duterte also said he did not care if the United States or the European Union cut their foreign aid to the Philippines, worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year, over concerns about human rights abuses in his war on crime.

“Assistance, USAID, you can go to hell,” he said, referring to the US government’s overseas economic and development assistance organisation.

Duterte often laces his rhetoric with vulgar language, and has repeatedly referred to US President Barack Obama as a “son of a whore”.

On Saturday he let loose again at US and European critics of his war on crime.

“You sons of whores. Your euro, that’s a piece of paper. You run out of toilet paper, you wipe up your ass,” he said in a rant that at times appeared not to make sense.

“You guys are bullshit. Why am I saying this? It sounds the height of vulgarity. You started it.”

Duterte, 71, also repeated criticism of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, saying it was based on a lie and triggered turmoil in the Middle East that cost many lives.

“If there is one thing that America has failed miserably, it is in the province of the human dignity,” he said at the end of his critique of US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Duterte said he also endorsed Russian efforts to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power.

“If Assad is out they (the United States) will have destroyed the entire Middle East,” he said. – AFP</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>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>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 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>Americans in Philippines jittery as Duterte rails against United States

OLONGAPO (Reuters) — In a bar along the Philippines’ Subic Bay owned by an American military veteran, the main topic of conversation is not the upcoming U.S. election despite the Donald Trump coffee mugs, photographs and caps on display.

The talk is of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s tensions with Washington and his courting of China, which is worrying the bar’s mostly American clients who have settled in the vicinity of the huge Subic Bay base, a former U.S. navy installation.

“The biggest fear is that one day he’s going to wake up and say ‘everybody from the U.S., get out of town’ and we’d have to leave our loved ones behind,” said Jack Walker, a retired Marine sergeant who has lived in Olongapo, the town around the base, for five years.

For more than a century the Philippines and the United States have had a shared history of colonialism, wars, rebellion, aid and deep economic ties. That could change as Duterte’s three-month-old administration re-examines the relationship.

In a series of conflicting statements, Duterte has insulted U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.S. ambassador in Manila for questioning his war on drugs, which has led to the deaths of more than 2,000 suspected users and pushers. He told Obama to “go to hell” and alluded to severing ties with Washington.

Then, after weeks of anti-American rhetoric, Duterte said the Philippines would maintain its existing defense treaties and its military alliances.

The comments have left Americans and U.S. businesses in the Philippines jittery about their future, said Ebb Hinchliffe, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce.

“Every time he opens his mouth and says something negative about America, that hurts me personally...and from a business standpoint, it’s not helping,” he said.

He said three trade delegations representing American technology, financial services and manufacturing companies had canceled trips to the Philippines in recent weeks.

At least two American companies have opted to do business in Vietnam instead “because of the president’s anti-American sentiment.” Hinchliffe declined to name the companies or give further details.

The United States ruled the Philippines from 1898, when it acquired the country from Spain, until recognizing its independence in 1946.

About four million people of Philippine ancestry live in the United States, one of its largest minorities, and about 220,000 Americans, many of them military veterans, live in the Philippines. An additional 650,000 visit each year, according to U.S. State Department figures.

According to a Pew Research Centre study last year, the Philippines is the most pro-U.S. country in the world.

Despite the shared history, though, the Philippines has a strong nationalistic movement that has questioned the U.S. alliance. In 1991, the government asked Washington to vacate the Subic Bay naval facility and the nearby Clark Air Base.

But as tensions increased with China over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, the Philippines signed an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States in 2014 that grants Washington increased military presence through rotation of ships and aircraft for humanitarian and maritime security operations.

However, Duterte has said that agreement will be reviewed and he insists that the Philippines, the third-largest Asian recipient of American military aid after Pakistan and Afghanistan, can do without assistance.

He was to leave for China on Tuesday on a state visit that could shift alliances in the region.

Philippine government officials have sought to play down Duterte’s comments.

“Where the president is coming from is that he wants to encourage the Filipino people to be more independent,” said government spokesman Ernesto Abella. “It’s not so much an anti-American relationship as a pro-Philippine sentiment.”

Edward Pooley, a former Marine colonel who has lived in the Philippines for nearly 30 years, said Duterte’s words were “heartbreaking” but he remained optimistic about the bilateral relationship in the long term.

“We’ve always done a lot of charitable activities and...we feel the appreciation. Don’t give up on us,” he said.

The mayor of the city of 220,000, Rolen Paulino, said his people were “pro-American” but that he supports Duterte’s shift in foreign policy.

“If the president wants to invite Russia and China...I will teach my people Russian and Chinese because we have to adapt,” Paulino said.

But many in the business community have labeled Duterte’s rhetoric as largely bluster and take comfort in the fact that he has yet to translate it into action.

The business process outsourcing or BPO sector, expected to account for 9 percent of GDP this year, remains largely optimistic about growth in the Philippines.

“Suffice to say, there are questions that are being asked because of (Duterte’s) statements,” said Danilo Reyes, country manager of Genpact, one of the biggest American BPO companies in the country. “But it does not really translate to actions, we continue to expand.”</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 announced his “separation” from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he is visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally Washington deteriorate.

“In this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States,” Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

“Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost.”

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.

Related: Philippines’ Duterte warms up to China in trip aimed at economic gains

Read more: How I angered the ‘Trump of the Philippines’

His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 billion in deals would be signed during the China trip.

“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,” Duterte told his Beijing audience.

Duterte’s remarks will prompt fresh concern in the United States, where the Obama administration has seen Manila as a key ally in its “rebalance” of resources to Asia in the face of a rising China.

The administration agreed a deal with Duterte’s predecessor granting U.S. forces rotational access to bases in the Philippines and further doubts will be raised about the future of this arrangement.

However, a White House spokesman stressed the traditional bonds between Washington and Manila when asked about Duterte’s comments and stuck to a U.S. approach of seeking to play down the Philippine leader’s repeated attacks.

“The U.S.-Philippines alliance is built on a 70-year history, rich people-to-people ties, including a vibrant Filipino-American diaspora, and a long list of shared security interests,” spokesman Ned Price said.

“We also remain one of the Philippines’ strongest economic partners; the current stock of U.S. foreign direct investment stands above $4.7 billion.”

A few hours after Duterte’s speech, his top economic policymakers released a statement saying that, while Asian economic integration was “long overdue,” that did not mean the Philippines was turning its back on the West.

“We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbors,” said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia in a joint statement. “We share the culture and a better understanding with our region.”

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

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 dialog 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. Neighbors 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 stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States, after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs.

He has called U.S. President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch” and told his 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-U.S. protesters gathered outside the U.S. embassy in Manila calling for the removal of U.S. troops from the southern island of Mindanao.

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.

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 be 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.
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.