Duterte eyes military ties with China but US presents obstacles

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed an interest in holding joint military drills with China, but military cooperation between the two countries remains far from mature, experts from both countries said.

Analysts said Duterte’s call for closer military ties with the Chinese navy was in line with his push to reduce Manila’s dependence on the United States and expand ties with other regional powers.

Relations between China and the Philippines have warmed since Duterte promised to put aside their territorial disputes over the South China Sea and pursue stronger economic links, but difficulties remain in expanding economic cooperation into the military sphere.

Duterte told media on Monday that he was open to the idea of conducting joint military exercises with China in piracy-plagued waters near the coast of the island of Mindanao. He has also asked Beijing to send patrol ships to help fight against Islamic State-linked militants in the Sulu Sea.

Despite Duterte’s push for joint military exercises the two countries lack a Visiting Forces Agreement, according to Clarita Carlos, an international affairs expert from the University of the Philippines. The Philippines already has agreements in place with the United States and Australia for such cooperation, Carols said. Military drills with Beijing must be based on an written agreement that would serve as terms of reference for the drills, said an expert from the Office of Naval Strategic Studies affiliated with the Philippine Navy, who requested anonymity becaused he was not authorised to speak to the media.