The US remains the “closest friend” of the Philippines but Manila wants to break away from a “mindset of dependency and subservience” and forge closer ties with other countries, the Philippine foreign minister said on Saturday. The comments by foreign affairs secretary, Perfecto Yasay, came two days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from Washington, though he went on to strike a more conciliatory tone on Friday. On Friday, Duterte’s economic managers were quick to clarify the Philippines was not cutting economic and trade ties with the US. I cannot do that,” Duterte told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao after he arrived from his four-day trip to Beijing. Duterte’s abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however.

Source: The Guardian October 22, 2016 13:30 UTC