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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel however warned that growing concern about drug-related killings in the Southeast Asian country was "bad for business". Russel was the first high-level visitor from Washington after President Rodrigo Duterte provoked alarm last week by announcing his country's "separation" from the United States and realignment with China while on a visit to Beijing.
Residents watch from behind the grills as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech before a solidarity dinner with the poor event at a slum area in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 30, 2016. Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia's liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.
Explaining Duterte's "Goodbye America" remarks, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said on Saturday the United States remained the "closest friend" of the Philippines, but Manila wanted to break away from a "mindset of dependency and subservience" and forge closer ties with other nations. Russel, speaking to reporters after meeting Yasay, said Duterte "has already walked back".
A resident gestures from behind the grills as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech before a solidarity dinner with the poor event at a slum area in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 30, 2016. Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia's liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.
He said Washington supported direct dialogue and negotiations between the Philippines and China. "So, it's a mistake to think that improved relations between Manila and Beijing somehow come at the expense of the U.S.," he said. "We don’t want countries to have to choose between the U.S. and China." During his meeting with the Philippine foreign minister, Russel however said he expressed his concern the "succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines’ intentions has created consternation in a number of countries". He added, "This is not a positive trend."
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, second from left, looks as Filipino folk singer Freddie Aguilar sings during the solidarity dinner with the poor event at a slum area in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 30, 2016. Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia's liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.
Duterte has been scathing about U.S. criticism of his anti-drugs campaign in which about 2,300 people have been killed since he took office on June 30. Russel said the United States supported Manila's anti-narcotics campaign, but due process and human rights should not be disregarded. "The growing uncertainty about this and other issues is bad for business," he said. "This is a very competitive region." Russel's trip to Manila is part of a three-nation swing through Southeast Asia that also includes Thailand and Cambodia, the U.S. State Department announced on its website.
U.S. diplomat says Philippines an ally, but drug killings a concern
Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said he also relayed to Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. international concern over continuing killings under Duterte's crackdown against illegal drugs. In addition, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone Sunday with Yasay about "recent challenges" in bilateral relations, the State Department said. Russel's visit to the Philippines, part of a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia, comes amid increasing uncertainty about Washington's treaty alliance with Manila. The brash Duterte, who took office on June 30, has displayed antagonism toward America, declaring his desire to scale back military engagements with the U.S. and telling President Barack Obama to "go to hell."
Duterte's administration, however, has not formalized his public declarations to remove U.S. counterterrorism forces from the volatile southern Philippines and stop large-scale joint exercises involving American forces, creating confusion among even his Cabinet officials. Duterte sparked diplomatic alarm when he announced during a state visit to Beijing last week his "separation" with the United States. Upon returning home the next day, Duterte said he did not mean he was severing diplomatic ties with Washington but only wanted to end a foreign policy that's overly oriented toward the U.S. "I've pointed out to Secretary Yasay that the succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines' intentions has created consternation in a number of countries, not only in mine," Russel told reporters in Manila after an extended meeting with Yasay.
The unease, Russel said, was also palpable "not only among governments, but also ... in other communities, in the expat Filipino community, in corporation boardrooms as well." "This is not a positive trend," he said, adding that the U.S. remains committed to continuing a solid alliance with and providing assistance to the Philippines, including in fighting drug crime. State Department spokesman John Kirby, however, said both Kerry and Russel came away from their discussions "feeling that we are going to be able to work through this period." Kirby said the U.S. remains committed to its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.
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