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

MANILA: 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," Duterte said in a speech. "I told him this is the situation: They are giving me a hard time, they are disrespecting me; they are shameless.

"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 toward the United States has intensified since US President Barack Obama said he would raise concerns about Duterte's deadly war on drugs.

The White House canceled 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 the Philippines would not benefit from siding with the United States, according to Duterte. 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, Duterte said he would review a landmark security deal agreed upon 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 US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday called "ironclad."

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

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

It also provides broad access to Philippine military bases.

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

Duterte did not explicitly say that he would try to scrap the deal, but in comments aimed at the United States, he said: "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."

In a response, the Pentagon said the United States and Philippines had a long history of working together on security issues and that conversations between Carter and his Philippine counterpart last week in Hawaii had been "positive."

"We will continue to honor our alliance commitments, and we expect the Philippines to do the same," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

"We will continue to work closely with the government of the Philippines to address any concerns they may have," Cook said.

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

Analysts saw the agreement in part as a deterrent to ward off moves by China to advance its interests in the South China Sea.

Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, John McCain, has previously said the agreement was a landmark deal with a significance "not witnessed in decades."

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

Washington's defense 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 US defense ties with Thailand, another traditional ally, have been temporarily scaled back following the military's 2014 coup.

The defense deal with the Philippines faced a legal challenge from some of the Asian country's lawmakers and activists. They were concerned that it represented a challenge to sovereignty and would make the Philippines a launching pad for US military intervention in the region.

The Supreme Court ruled in January that it was constitutional.