Duterte charts own course, not Tokyo’s, on S. China Sea

A number of Japanese media outlets, including Kyodo News, reported Wednesday evening that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently visiting Japan, reached a consensus with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over respecting the arbitration award for the South China Sea. Japanese media was excited at first.

Western media also highlighted Duterte’s remarks that his China tour was all about economics. These reports are trying to create an impression that Manila has no intention to comprehensively improve its ties with Beijing, as if the Philippines will continue its conflicts against China over the South China Sea disputes.

However, according to the released conversation between Duterte and Abe as well as Duterte’s public statements in Tokyo, there is no such “consensus” over the South China Sea. The truth is Abe kept on talking about the arbitration and Duterte made a few responses in order not to make the situation awkward.

Apart from that, Duterte has made more crucial statements. He said to Abe that he wished to resolve the South China Sea issue peacefully and the Philippines must have dialogue with China.

During a speech Duterte made in Tokyo Wednesday, he mentioned that he wanted foreign troops to exit the Philippines in two years. This is the first time he has raised a timetable over this matter.

Duterte also noted that “I will pursue an independent foreign policy … I want to be a friend to China … I do not need the arms. I do not want missiles established in my country. I do not need to have the Air Force to host the bombers with hydrogen bombs.”

These views are quite different from Japan’s expectations of Duterte. Tokyo and Manila do have a good relationship. But their policies over the South China Sea issue are not the same. Having a simple face- to- face meeting hardly means that they have reached a consensus.

Abe hopes that Manila can contin- ue to be a pawn of the US and Japan in the South China Sea. Yet Duterte wants independent diplomatic policies and to pursue the Philippines’ own national interests. The starting points of their strategies run counter to one another.

The real consensus Duterte reached was with Chinese leaders during his China visit last week.

His remarks in Tokyo accord with the consensus he made in Beijing, in which the core content is to focus on friendly collaboration between China and the Philippines, put aside their differences and turn into cooperative partners in order to realize mutual benefit.

China is not going to form an alliance with the Philippines. Beijing does not expect Manila to confront the US. But Washington and Tokyo are encouraging the Philippines to maintain its conflicts with Beijing. Duterte has already seen through their calculations.