Opinion | Why it’s best for Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte to avoid aligning either with China or the US
The Philippine president can most advantageously advance his country’s national interest by adopting an ‘equilateral balancing strategy’, Richard Heydarian writes
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte often fancies himself as the reincarnation of mid-20th century titans of the so-called Non-Aligned Movement. In this sense, Duterte is out of touch with his times, yet also unique and captivating in the context of a country which has been in the shadow of America for the past century.
In reorienting his country’s strategic orientation, however, Duterte risks provoking a backlash at home, where most people still prefer the comfort of old alliances over an untested dalliance with China.
As Duterte enters his third year in office, the Philippine defence and foreign policy is still torn between competing narratives of national dignity and interest.
In a Nehruvian fashion, Duterte dedicated a significant portion of his second State of the Nation Address to extolling the virtues of an “independent” foreign policy.
As the harbinger of a new era in Philippine foreign policy, Duterte argued, he will “pursue good relations with all nations anchored on an independent foreign policy”, following “basic tenets of sovereign equality, mutual respect and non-interference”.