Philippine Pivot To China: What Does It Mean?

[jct74]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tstGh8aFa0w

Last week the president of the Philippines signaled his desire to separate from US foreign policy and seek a rapprochement with China. The US is prepared to occupy five military bases in the Philippines and a long-standing mutual defense treaty. What's next?

 

[cindy25]

nothing will come of it. Duterte is unstable, old and sick. he was offended because years ago he was denied a USA travel visa. at some point the CIA will have had enough and take him out.

 

[tasteless]

nothing will come of it. Duterte is unstable, old and sick. he was offended because years ago he was denied a USA travel visa. at some point the CIA will have had enough and take him out.

Not quite...

Back when Duterte was the mayor of Davao, there were a slew of bombings going on in the region. There was an American staying at a hotel in his city that was very sketchy and wouldn't allow his room to be cleaned. One day, a bomb goes off in his room, blowing off his legs. He claimed someone threw a grenade into his room, but the investigation found that it came from one of his boxes. A warrant is issued for his arrest for the crime of harboring explosives and to see if he was connected to other bombings, but while he's at the hospital, a bunch of men allegedly with the US government get him out and onto a charter flight back to the US, where he changes his name and lives out the rest of his life.

Duterte was pissed that his authority was disregarded, and that potentially a terrorist had escaped. That's why he holds a grudge.