US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says his country intends to keep its alliance commitments to the Philippines, despite remarks by the Southeast Asian country’s president regarding a shift from the Washington policies.
Carter made the comments on Friday, a day after Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte announced Manila’s “separation” from Washington, a former long-standing ally, and its realignment with Beijing.
“We have important alliance commitments which we intend to keep in the Philippines,” Carter said, adding that, “Obviously any relationship is one of mutuality and we will continue to discuss that with our Philippine counterparts.”
On Thursday, Duterte also stressed his country’s pursuit of a shift away from the Unites States and toward China, blasting America’s policies and declaring an end to joint military exercises with the US military.
“So it’s about time to say good-bye, my friend. Your stay in my country was for your own…