Analysis | Duterte’s tilt towards China set to ‘test US pivot to Asia’

Philippine President Rodrigo ­Duterte’s visit to China may not lead to a new alliance between the two countries, but has done enough to cause a setback to the United States’ pivot to Asia, ­observers said.

Relations between China and the Philippines, two competing claimants in the South China Sea, took a dramatic turn on Thursday when Duterte hailed a “springtime” of bilateral relations. It ­appeared to end three years of ­bilateral tension that started when Manila asked an international tribunal to rule on Beijing’s territorial claims to the disputed waters.

While the US insists it is ­neutral in the South China Sea disputes, it supported the Philippines’ application to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and has conducted “freedom of navigation operations” in the waters.

Manila has also long been a key ally in the US’ rebalance to Asia strategy to counter China’s rise in the region. But Duterte ­announced his country’s “separation” from the US on Thursday.

The US embassy in Manila said Duterte’s statements were creating uncertainty, Reuters reported. “We have yet to hear from the Philippine government what Duterte’s remarks on ‘separation’ might mean,” an embassy spokeswoman said.