Advertisement
Advertisement
Rodrigo Duterte
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
President Rodrigo Duterte, assisted by Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go, speaks to US President Donald Trump. Photo: EPA

Trump invites Duterte to Washington in 'friendly' phone call

The White House gave no details of when the leaders would meet in Washington

Agencies

US President Donald Trump has invited his Philippine counterpart to Washington in a “friendly” call in which the leaders discussed Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and their countries’ alliance, the White House said.

Duterte has faced international condemnation for his brutal crackdown on crime, which has claimed thousands of lives and led to warnings from rights groups about a possible crime against humanity.

The White House said the two leaders, who were both elected to office last year, had “a very friendly conversation” that included discussion about the Philippine government’s efforts to “rid its country of drugs” and the regional security threat posed by North Korea.

“President Trump also invited President Duterte to the White House to discuss the importance of the United States-Philippines alliance, which is now heading in a very positive direction,” the statement said.

WATCH: Duterte rails at US ‘monkeys’

The pair previously spoke on the phone in December when President-elect Trump invited Duterte to the White House, amid rocky relations between their two countries.

There has been concern about Duterte’s efforts to loosen the Philippines’ long-standing alliance with the US as he looks to court China, whose push to control most of the disputed South China Sea has alarmed neighbours.

Duterte has regularly hit out at the Philippines’ one-time colonial ruler for perceived hypocrisy over human rights and last year branded then US president Barack Obama a “son of a whore” for criticising the drug war.

The White House said Trump “enjoyed the conversation” with Duterte, and looked forward to attending the key US-Asean and East Asia summits in the Philippines in November.

The White House said Trump ‘enjoyed the conversation’ with Duterte, and looked forward to attending the key US-Asean and East Asia summits in the Philippines in November. Photo: Reuters

Vice-President Mike Pence had announced earlier this month that Trump would attend the Asian meetings as a sign of “unwavering commitment” to the region.

Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella confirmed Trump’s invitation, although he gave no indication of when the visit would take place. He said Trump expressed Washington’s commitment to their treaty alliance and his interest in developing “a warm, working relationship” with Duterte.

Abella’s remarks reflect the friendlier attitude Duterte has taken toward Trump versus the antagonistic stance he had toward Obama.

Philippine police have reported killing 2,724 people as part of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, although authorities insist the shootings have been in self defence.

Filipino relatives mourn at the funeral of a man allegedly involved with illegal drugs who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Photo: EPA

Many thousands of others have been killed by shadowy vigilantes, according to rights groups.

A Philippine lawyer last week filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court accusing Duterte of mass murder, alleging his war on drugs had led to about 8,000 deaths.

Duterte’s pledge to stop the country turning into a narco-state has proved wildly popular with millions of Filipinos looking for a quick solution to crime and corruption.

Over the weekend some Southeast Asian leaders attending a regional summit in Manila also expressed support for the drug war, including Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo.

Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Duterte is invited to US after Trump call
Post