DUTERTE MEETS XI FOR BETTER TIES

Beijing, Oct. 20: President Rodrigo Duterte met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday, state media said, as the Philippines’ leader seeks closer ties with the Asian giant while blasting his US allies.

Duterte is in China for a fourday trip that is expected to confirm his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing’s sphere of influence.

The two leaders were to hold official talks and sign a “series of cooperation documents”, the official Xinhua news service reported.

Duterte is hoping to take advantage of Beijing’s deep pockets to score a raft of trade and infrastructure deals.

His recent rhetoric blasting the US and President Barack Obama and promising to sideline a territorial dispute over the strategically vital South China Sea has been welcomed in Beijing.

During a speech addressing the Filipino community in Beijing, the firebrand president said the Philippines had gained little from its long alliance with the US, its former colonial ruler. “Your stay in my country was for your own benefit. So time to say goodbye, my friend,” he said.