Philippines’ Duterte says he’s ‘not a fan’ of the US and vows to plot own course

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From left: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Laos' Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP

Published: 5:29pm, 10 Sep 2016Updated: 10:00pm, 10 Sep 2016

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, saying he was “not a fan” of the United States, vowed on Saturday to steer an independent course for the key Asian ally and refrain from confronting territorial rival China.

The incendiary leader made the comments after a controversial first foreign trip and spectacular falling out with US President Barack Obama, who he called a “son of a whore”.

“I am not a fan of the Americans ... Filipinos should be first before everybody else,” Duterte told reporters upon arrival in his hometown of Davao city on Saturday.

“In our relations to the world, the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy. I repeat: The Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy.”

The president’s trip to a summit in Laos was overshadowed by his verbal tirade, which saw Obama cancel a planned meeting. The pair met briefly later after Duterte expressed regret.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP

The US, Manila’s main military ally and the Philippines’ colonial ruler until 1946, has criticised Duterte’s brutal crackdown on crime, which has claimed 3,000 lives since he took office in July and drawn condemnation from the United Nations.

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