The spat with Duterte stolen attention away form Obama’s final trip to Asia as president, in which he hoped to cement his administration’s effort to “rebalance” US foreign policy toward the region. However, the meeting was canceled following Duterte’s derogatory remarks.
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US President Barack Obama met briefly with Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, their two governments said, days after the firebrand politician branded the US president a “son of a whore”.
“Words matter”, said State Department representative Mark Toner, according to Reuters.
“I believe the United States has a moral obligation to help Laos heal”, Mr. Obama said.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Pefecto Yasay told The Associated Press that the leaders had met.
She added: “We have a lot of ties between the United States and the Philippines”. The basis for this relationship is historical and both leaders realise this.
After assuming office following a landslide victory in June, Duterte launched a war on drugs which has resulted in the execution of over 2,000 suspected drug traders and consumers. He previously upset the United States by referring to the country’s ambassador as a “gay son of a whore”.
Apparently prompted by the USA move, Duterte quickly backtracked on Tuesday, saying he did not mean to insult Obama but was addressing a reporter.
Obama filled the hole in his schedule by meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in a display of unity a day after North Korea fired three ballistic missiles.
The Philippines has been central in this effort due to an global court case it brought and won against Beijing.
In March, the United States and the Philippines agreed on five locations for USA military facilities in the country under a new security deal.
The two countries are treaty allies and Washington has strongly backed Manila’s calls for China to abide by a recent ruling over the South China Sea, which the Philippines won.
There are undertones in the USA relationship with the Philippines that do not exist in other alliances Washington maintains in Asia. But as far as USA officials are saying, no foul words were uttered. In that exchange, he warned Obama to “not just throw questions” at him during their meeting, and reminded the American president “we have long ceased to be a colony”.
The official noted that Duterte was new to national leadership having served as a city mayor.
Mr. Obama said America’s interest in the Asia-Pacific isn’t new and is not a passing fad. The outreach is a core element of his attempt to shift US diplomatic and military resources away from the Middle East and into Asia in order to counter China in the region and ensure a USA foothold in growing markets.
Rhodes insisted the US-Philippines alliance remained “rock solid”.
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“It’s unfortunate, but doesn’t fundamentally derail the relationship”, he said.
