US touts military ties as Duterte woos Russia, China

CLARK, PHILIPPINES — The timing of US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s trip to the Philippines this week couldn’t have been better, coming just as it celebrated a victory against Islamist militants in Marawi City — with a critical dose of help from the US military.

But as Mr. Mattis prepared to meet President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday, five Russian warships were parked off the Philippines and Moscow was preparing to formally hand over thousands of assault rifles, a million rounds of ammunition and 20 army trucks at a public ceremony on Wednesday.

Mr. Duterte, known for his strident anti-American rhetoric, has made no secret of his plans to cultivate ties with America’s rivals, Russia and China. Those efforts appear to be starting to bear fruit.

Just before he meets Mr. Mattis, Duterte was scheduled to sit down with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday, who, like Mr. Mattis, was attending a gathering of Asian defense ministers north of Manila.

On Wednesday, Mr. Duterte is scheduled to visit a Russian anti-submarine ship, the Admiral Pantaleyev, docked in Manila.

US Ambassador Sung Kim played down any US concerns about Mr. Duterte’s outreach to China and Russia and noted that the United States, a former colonial power, was the country’s only treaty ally, with far deeper ties in the Philippines. —