Duterte in China: Washington trembles

18.10.2016
Philippines
China

The President of Philippines Rodrigo Duterte arrived in China. During the visit he will meet with the head of China Xi Jinping. The sides are planing to discuss a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.

To overcome differences

Many experts see Rodrigo Duterte's visit to China as a signal of the revision of the contradictions that have accumulated between two countries over the past decade. The most important of them is the territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea.

Agreement on bases

The agreement on military bases, which the United States had signed with the Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino is crucial issue. According to it, the US military had access to one land and four naval bases, which significantly strengthened the position of Washington in the region. But Duterte's independent policy  can put an end to these agreements.

The US weakening

In recent years there has been a tendency of a significant weakening of the US position in the region. Beijing diplomatic efforts are aimed to bring the traditional US allies out of Washington's sphere of influence. The warming relations between Beijing and Bangkok, as well as a possible breakthrough in negotiations between Rodrigo Duterte and Xi Jinping can be concidered as successful steps on this way.

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