The encounter “consisted of pleasantries” between the two before the gala dinner of the Association of South East Asian leaders meeting here this week, according to a White House official.
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In a tirade before the Laos summit, Duterte insulted U.S. President Barack Obama and the White House responded by cancelling a two-way meeting.
Duterte’s spokesman, Martin Andanar, said the Philippine leader had a migraine.
Speaking in Vientiane, Laos, after the 11th East Asia Summit, Obama said the Republican nominee should be questioned on his “outright wacky ideas” – like building a wall to keep Mexicans out or barring the entry of Muslims into the country. Obama called Duterte a “colourful guy” but cancelled the meeting later on.
The Obama administration had been working to build closer military and economic ties to the Philippines at a time when China’s growing influence has alarmed smaller nations in the region.
Mr Duterte won the presidency with his hard-line policy to eradicate drugs and some 2,400 people have died in anti-drug operations since he took office in June.
“You must be respectful”.
Tensions between the United States and the Philippines, its former colony, are unusual at high-level meetings. Do not just throw questions.
― Picture taken from Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Facebook pageKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has praised United States President Barack Obama for enhancing US-Asean relations under his presidency.
“I realize this raises tensions”, Obama said earlier as he met with ASEAN leaders, referring to a recent global arbitration ruling against China on the maritime dispute.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who accompanied Duterte in his trip, said that this was how the two presidents met informally in a holding room before attending a gala dinner at the ASEAN Summit.
“I can tell you from the interactions I’ve had over the last eight or nine days with foreign leaders that this is serious business”, Obama said. “If you do that, we will end up insulting each other”.
“The media from all over the world, including from the Philippines, are up in excitement as each await the event where the two leaders will possibly say something positive”, the statement from the presidential palace said.
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Duterte has stressed he did not want to pick a fight with Obama, but added, “Nobody but nobody should interfere”.
