How Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s stubborn pivot to China could cost him political capital at home
- Richard Heydarian writes that Filipinos are asking: Is China a ‘friend’ of the Philippines or only Duterte?
“Speech is the faculty by which men conceal their thoughts,” the legendary Napoleonic diplomat, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, once observed.
In many ways, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest visit to China, his fourth in less than three years, illustrated Talleyrand’s reflections on talk. His stopover was filled with cordial rhetoric that concealed simmering tensions in the budding alliance.
Though in Beijing to attend the second Belt and Road Forum, the Philippine leader managed to meet both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
The two countries signed more than 19 agreements, including investment deals worth US$12 billion that are expected to generate more than 21,000 jobs.
On the South China Sea disputes, however, both sides effectively agreed to disagree with no clear resolution in sight. Despite widespread domestic criticism, Duterte remains undaunted in his pivot to China.
The visit took place against the backdrop of rising domestic pressure on the Philippine president to take a tougher stance on the maritime spats. Over the past few months, an armada of Chinese vessels has surrounded Philippine-occupied land features in the disputed areas.
