US Navy personnel taking part in joint US-PH war games. InterAksyon file photograph
The Philippines and the United States launch war games on Tuesday against the unusual prospect of American forces possibly being ejected from the Southeast Asian nation as its firebrand leader pivots to China.
President Rodrigo Duterte has launched a sustained verbal assault on the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and mutual defense partner, since he took office on June 30 in response to criticism of his deadly war on crime.
Duterte has in recent days warned the war games will be the last of his six-year term, and threatened to scrap a defense pact implemented by his predecessor that was meant to see more US troops in the Philippines to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.
"Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether," Duterte said on Sunday as he launched a tirade against the Americans full of typical invective.
"The Americans, I don't like them... they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: 'Screw you, fuck you'," he said, while signaling again that he wanted to forge closer alliances with China and Russia.
Last week Duterte, 71, also claimed the CIA was plotting to assassinate him.
This came after he branded Barack Obama a "son of a whore" in response to being told the US president planned to raise human rights concerns over his drug war.
Duterte has vowed to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines, warning the nation is in danger of becoming a narco-state.
His crime war has seen more than 3,000 people killed, with the United Nations, the European Union and rights groups raising concerns about alleged extrajudicial killings and a breakdown in the rule of law.
Duterte has insisted he is not doing anything illegal, yet at the same time said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug users.
He also likened his crime war to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's effort to exterminate Jews, but following an outcry apologized for referring to the Holocaust.
China circling
Two thousand troops from both sides will take part in the war games, including in waters close to flash point areas of the South China Sea.
China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters close to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, and has in recent years built artificial islands in the disputed areas capable of hosting military bases.
To counter China, the Philippines' previous president, Benigno Aquino, sought to draw the United States closer. This included the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that Duterte now wants to scrap.
Duterte appears intent on adopting the opposite tactic, saying recently he hopes to travel to China and meet with President Xi Jinping.
On a related matter, the United States has not been contacted by Philippines defense authorities about President Rodrigo Duterte's comments on ending joint military exercises, the U.S. State Department said on Monday, noting it expected Manila to live up to its commitments.
"We've not been officially contacted by the Philippine defense department authorities regarding President Duterte's statement," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters. "I'd also note that we'll live up to our commitments and we'll expect them to live up to theirs."
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/132999/philippines-us-hold-war-games-after-duterte-tirades
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