Philippines' Duterte To Visit China

MANILA, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Oct, 2016 ) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he would soon visit China and hoped also to travel to Russia, as he again criticised longtime ally the United States for "arrogance".

The mission to China will be Duterte's first outside of Southeast Asia since assuming the presidency on June 30, in a symbolic move highlighting the importance he places on improving ties with Beijing that soured over competing claims to the South China Sea.

"China has repeatedly invited me. I have accepted the offer," Duterte said in a speech at the presidential palace. He gave no specific dates for the visit, but said it would take place before he went to Japan from October 25 to 27.

Duterte said he had originally planned to visit Japan, the Philippines' biggest source of foreign aid, ahead of China. However he explained that Japan offered a "definite" date, then China told Duterte there was a "vacancy" earlier and so he accepted.

Duterte also said that, after Japan, "probably I will go to Russia". Duterte has looked to build closer ties with China and Russia, while launching repeated tirades against the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and defence ally.

His tirades have been largely in response to US criticism of Duterte's war on crime, which has claimed more than 3,300 lives and raised fears about extrajudicial killings. Duterte has cancelled joint patrols with the United States in the South China Sea, said he may scrap a defence pact that allows thousands of US troops to rotate through the Philippines, and threatened to eventually cut ties completely.

Duterte has also branded US President Barack Obama a "son of a whore" for expressing concern about human rights in the drug war. In contrast, he has described Chinese leader Xi Jinping as "a great president", and praised China and Russia for showing respect in not criticising his crime crackdown.