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MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday that the United States must pay if it wants to maintain a two-decade-long troop deployment agreement with his country, which is central to the US strategy in Asia.
Duterte, a passionate nationalist who openly disapproves of the long-standing US military alliance, unilaterally canceled the Visiting Force Agreement last year in an irate response to an ally who was denied a US visa.
However, the withdrawal period has been extended twice to create what Filipino officials say is a window for better terms to be agreed.
Speaking to Philippine troops on Friday after inspecting the newly acquired air assets, Duterte said: “I would like to let you know if there is an American agent here, from now on, do you want the Visiting Forces Agreement to be made? You have to pay. .
“It is a shared responsibility, but their share of responsibility is not gratuitous, after all, when war breaks out, we all pay,” Duterte said, alluding to Washington and Beijing intensifying their military activities in the South China Sea.
Duterte did not elaborate or say how much the United States should pay.
The US embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his comments.
The Philippine defense apparatus wants to keep the VFA as it has been vital in boosting the capabilities of underprivileged Philippine forces through dozens of annual joint training exercises, Defense Minister Duterte said.
US and Philippine officials met Thursday to resolve disputes over the VFA, the first under US President Joe Biden, which has reaffirmed the alliance in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.
“(The United States) is free to advance its troops on our land … We don’t like it because we want to remain neutral,” Duterte said. “But the demand of the moment requires your presence here, I agree with that.”
Relations between the United States and its former East Asian colony have been complicated by Duterte’s rise to power in 2016 and his frequent statements condemning US foreign policy and open acceptance of China.
Duterte reiterated that he wanted to avoid confrontation with China over maritime claims that “would lead to something that we can hardly afford.”
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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