Philippines says they prefers Russia and China for purchasing arms.

Philippines says they prefers Russia and China for purchasing arms.

Source: www.abc.net.au

The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country in the Western Pacific, comprising more than 7,000 islands. Its capital, Manila, is famous for its waterfront promenade and centuries-old Chinatown, Binondo. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of Old Manila. It’s home to the baroque 17th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and military prison.

President Rodrigo Duterte said he would "break up with America" because the US has reportedly refused to sell weapons to Manila. He said he would rather choose Russia and China to buy arms adding that Washington's rivals were ready to help him.

“I think warming up relations with China has its own merits … we will promote not only friendship and cooperation between the two countries, but we will also contribute to the development of the Philippines.

He also accused the US of failing the Philippines and said he was realigning his foreign policy. "If you don't want to sell arms, I'll go to Russia. I sent the generals to Russia and Russia said 'do not worry, we have everything you need, we'll give it to you'.

“Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent foreign policy shift away from the US toward China could substantially undermine Washington’s geopolitical influence in Asia at a time when tensions between Beijing and its neighbors are rising,” Fitch Group’s BMI Research said in a Sept. 30 report titled, “Duterte’s foreign policy shift to undermine US’ geopolitical influence.”

“As a result, the US and Japan will increasingly attempt to cultivate Vietnam as a regional security partner in the South China Sea,” the report said.

The “rebalancing”—as described by members of Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet—of Philippine foreign policy is seen to benefit China.

“A major geopolitical shift in   Asia appears to have begun in mid-2016, when Rodrigo Duterte became President of the Philippines, and this will undermine the US position to the benefit of China,” BMI Research said.

It noted that Mr. Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, “pursued a staunchly anti-China policy, as Beijing adopted an increasingly assertive stance toward its claims to the South China Sea.”

Now, Mr. Duterte is going a step further, calling into question an accord to let U.S. forces use Philippine military bases. That landmark 2014 deal was poignant in that Manila ejected U.S. troops in the early 1990s. It sent a powerful message: America is back.

Specifically, it was back in Southeast Asia, the focus of Washington’s “pivot” aimed at countering China’s rising power. There was little doubt about America’s commitment to Japan, where the Seventh Fleet is headquartered or to South Korea, home to 28,500 American service personnel. Southeast Asian countries, however, felt neglected as they faced China’s rapidly expanding naval and militia armadas.