A new military agreement, which was signed in 2014 to the dismay of China, allows the United States to increase the number of troops deployed to the Philippines for war games, as well as bring equipment into military sites including Subic Bay. A new security deal signed in March will allow for an even more heightened US military presence throughout the Philippines, something that comes at a critical moment.
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Shattering an illusion of cordiality at the summit in Laos on Wednesday, U.S. ally the Philippines released photographs and a map showing what it said was an increased number of Chinese vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which China seized after a standoff in 2012.
The controversial Filipino leader later expressed regret over the remarks, but not before Mr Obama had cancelled a planned meeting.
US President Barack Obama waves to the media as he arrives for the gala dinner of ASEAN leaders and its Dialogue Partners in the ongoing 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits at the National Convention Center Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos.
Though both leaders had met during the ASEAN Summit here and the G20 Summit at Chinese city of Hangzhou, this was the first one-to-one meeting between them.
Washington has many reasons for wanting to maintain a healthy relationship with Manila. At the end of the ASEAN Summit today, when the final communiqué is issued, it will be seen whether ASEAN continues its stand against taking any solid position on the South China Sea issue.
Rhodes insisted the US-Philippines alliance remained “rock solid”. He shook hands with Duterte the previous evening but “it was not a long interaction”. He called for following the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and a dual-track approach. About 2,500 people have been killed in the so-called “war on drugs” since Mr. Duterte took office June 30. The carnage has sparked alarm among human rights groups, which have complained about a wave of extrajudicial killings.
The United States is also interested in ensuring that the current dispute does not harm anti-terror cooperation with the Philippines set up to hunt Al-Qaeda linked groups after the September 11 attacks in 2001 has been scaled back.
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“The most important thing for the public and the press is to just listen to what he says and follow up and ask questions to what appear to be either contradictory or uninformed or outright wacky ideas”, Obama said. “It will take a while for Duterte to find his footing on foreign policy, so the expectations for the relationship need to be dampened a little bit”.
