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MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who privately endorsed US President Donald Trump, said on Sunday (November 8) that he was “eager to work closely” with President-elect Joseph Biden.
“We look forward to working closely with the new administration of President-elect Biden, based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and a shared commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” said his spokesman Harry Roque in a message from text.
“The Philippines and the United States have long-standing bilateral relations and we are committed to further improving relations with the United States under the Biden administration,” said Roque.
Duterte had said that he would personally prefer Trump to be elected to a second term, having disagreed with Democrats in Washington, who criticized his brutal war on drugs and crackdown on civil liberties.
He once called then-President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch.”
But he had recently been making proposals to improve ties with the United States, after changing the Philippines’ foreign policy to bring it closer to China.
It has temporarily postponed its decision to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US and has pardoned and sent home a US serviceman convicted of killing a Filipino transgender.
“I think these movements signal the interest in working with whoever wins the heated elections,” Lucio Pitlo III, a researcher at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, told The Straits Times.
Still, Pitlo added, “human rights can be a difficult subject and can affect ties if not managed properly.”
Political analyst and author Richard Heydarian said he expects Biden to be “much more pragmatic” and “cautious” in dealing with populists like Duterte.
“Biden comes in as a diminished president compared to what was expected according to the polls. He will face very controversial politics at home. That will make him much more pragmatic in dealing with the world in the sense that he will be more cautious.” . It will seek functional and civil relationships with deceptive allies and partners and populist strongmen like Duterte, “Heydarian said.
He said Duterte would likely capitalize on the US desire to uphold security agreements with the Philippines and reconstitute an alliance to control China and win concessions from Biden, especially on human rights issues, as Duterte’s own presidency arrives. to its end.
Duterte’s term ends in 2022.
“The Biden administration will have to have some difficult conversations with the Duterte administration,” he said.
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