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Duterte again rules out joint exercises with US

YOKOHAMA (Japan) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday his country could join naval exercises with Japan, but repeated there would be no more war games with long-time ally the United States and again vented his anger on Washington.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) speaking to 

the media after his inspection at the Japan Coast Guard 

base in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) speaking to

the media after his inspection at the Japan Coast Guard

base in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

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YOKOHAMA (Japan) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday his country could join naval exercises with Japan, but repeated there would be no more war games with long-time ally the United States and again vented his anger on Washington.

“Joint exercise with Japan in general terms is not a problem ... With the Americans, it’s problematic,” Mr Duterte told reporters a day after saying he wanted foreign troops out of his country “maybe in the next two years”.

“I don’t want to embarrass my Defence Secretary but the exercises with the Americans will be the last,” he said, referring to annual exercises between Manila and American troops last month.

Mr Duterte, on the final day of a three-day visit to Japan, made the comments after watching Japan Coast Guard activities in the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo. He did not reveal whether he discussed a possible visiting forces agreement with Japan.

Asked if Japanese patrol vessels could take part in patrols in South China Sea waters off the Philippines, Mr Duterte said: “Yes, within our territorial waters. If you want, we have no problem with that. I do not think China would stop us. Japan would just be going there and making a cruise. As a matter of fact, I also told them, they can also go near my territorial waters, and park there if you want.”

Mr Duterte’s visit to Japan coincides with jitters about his foreign policy after weeks of verbal attacks on the US, including threats to end military agreements, and overtures towards China.

He last week announced in China his “separation” from the US, but then insisted ties were not being severed and that he was merely pursuing an independent foreign policy.

Japan is one of the other top US allies in Asia, and Mr Duterte said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had raised the issue with him in a meeting the previous day in Tokyo.

“Yes, of course,” Mr Duterte told reporters when asked if Mr Abe had asked for clarification about his criticisms of the US. “I told him they were mere words. Why would you give these things any importance,” he said, adding that he then repeated his anti-American grievances to Mr Abe. “I had told the Prime Minister some of my sentiments against the Americans. They are treating us like dogs on a leash. The Prime Minister understands that.”

The firebrand leader’s recent comments against the US pose a headache for Mr Abe, who has tightened ties with Washington while building closer security relations with Manila and other South-east Asian countries as a counterweight to a rising China.

Beijing has maritime feuds with several countries in the region, including Japan. This week, Beijing held drills in the disputed South China Sea, which the Defence Ministry said yesterday was a normal search-and-rescue exercise. This came days after a US Navy destroyer sailed near the Paracel Islands, provoking a warning from Chinese warships to leave.

China routinely holds drills in the busy waterway, where Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have rival claims.

In their Wednesday talks, Mr Duterte and Mr Abe agreed on the importance of settling maritime disputes peacefully.

Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said yesterday that the response to some of Mr Duterte’s fiery rhetoric on the US had been overblown, and the Philippines would welcome investment from America. “What does separation mean? It’s not divorce,” he said. “Somebody suggested it’s more like a child leaving its home and establishing its own home.”

When asked if he, as Mr Duterte’s childhood friend, could advise the world on how to work with the President, he said: “He’s very focused on his goals and he doesn’t appreciate being slowed down. He will lash out at people who try to slow him down.”

A scheduled call by Mr Duterte on Japanese Emperor Akihito, 82, was cancelled following the death yesterday of Akihito’s 100-year-old uncle, Prince Mikasa. AGENCIES

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