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Philippine president assures Japan his visit to China was all about economics

42 Comments
By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Linda Sieg

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42 Comments
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And his business to Japan is all about...?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Japan is just placating him until they can figure him out.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Wish Abe is independent like him.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

So the word "separation" is a passive note that was taken from U.S. and Japan? How times changed.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

He should visit The Hague instead. They can prepare a nice suite for him there. Agree with @smith though.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

My dear president Duterte, if you don't want military presence might as well return all the ships we received from Japan Korea and United States. And from now on make sure our Armed Forces can really protect our country all by itself! when it cannot even beat the New People's Army, MILF, MNLF and Abu Sayyaf. I really don't understand what is he talking about the presence of the foreign soldeirs in the Philippines, I don't see any of them at all and I don't feel we are even getting manipulated by the US. Does he really think that those handfull of soldiers wherever they are will invade the Philippines or control the government? this guy is really hallucinating! I really wish all these things would back fire on him, if I were America I'll give this guy a lesson and Embargo Philippines! or maybe he is only saying this because US is still busy and he knows they will not mind him.... I want him to say this once the new US President is Elected. The best way to describe this guy in tagalog is "Balimbing"

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Yeah right! The cheque is in the post, if I put it in a little but and you dont like it, I will take it out.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Goodluck to our country and for all those people who comments that our President is a "bad guy" , you are all definitely wrong! would you rather want innocent people to die in the Philippines because they are victims of drug addicts, and other wrongdoings of bad and crazy people??? There is no extra judicial killings in our land!!! only bad guys are being killed!!!! FYI!!!!!!Our country has been under CORRUPTION by a lot of GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS for the longest time, and now we are so blessed to have PRESIDENT DUTERTE because he is not a corrupt man!!! so for all of you who doesn't watch full interviews given by our president and just believes on edited ,twisted news being FED TO YOU by the oligarchs, puppets etc or ANTI DUTERTE people, oh well I PITY YOU!!! We love our President and we are so proud of him!!!!!

-18 ( +3 / -21 )

In other words, I have a price, China's made a bid, can you beat that?

12 ( +12 / -0 )

HE is just a rude S.O.B. The Americans should call his bluff and pull everything out never to return as his little country sinks into the sea.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Rica88, if u love so much your president.. why don't u go back in your country? keep in mind.. he'll be soon facing criminal act massive murder, genocide.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Guess what he said to China about his trip to Japan?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@johnbeara how sure are you that i am not in my country often? hahaha! definitely you are not a filipino so you dont really know what is going on in our country! and what criminal act murder genocide are you talking about? please check your facts straight!

@serendipitous duterte himself???? hahaha! we love our president! a Man that you know nothing about! why don't you both focus on what good things he did for Davao City when he was still a Mayor and now, good things for our country! lessen the negativity in your uncreative imaginations????????????

-13 ( +2 / -15 )

Phillipines is very close neighbor of Okinawa. On the behalf of long suffering Okinawans, I pay my great respect to,that strong , outspoken and open minded leader of near by neighbor.

If Shinzo Abe has only about half of the spine of Duterte, Japan will becomes the Switzerland of Asia. Swiss population is only fraction of Japan. It does not need to swing the tail and kiss the boot as puppy. Even it does not bother to join UN.

Congratulation for PInoys for electing such a man of steel with wisdom and vision. Okinawans wish next Japanese leader will stand straight with independent foreign policy as Duterte.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

@rica88

There is NO EXCUSE for murder and indiscriminate killing. It makes our world a darker place. Haven't we had enough of this in our human history? If you like this stance on killing people before they have been proven guilty the YOU are a supporter of violence, vigilante justice, and even murder. It does not matter whether or not many people support him at all. People are a product of their environments and unfortunately it seems like that's not such a good one right now.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

@thepersoniamnow there are those who have been killed by vigilantes and the government is not responsible for that.those that were killed in police operations are those who fought back or resisted arrest. our country is in deep problem nearing the narco politics like in other countries. drug addicts/ criminals are victimizing a lot of good people, even raping less than one year old babies!!! and who said that i am a supporter of violence??? oh well, maybe in my first comment that i said that only bad guys are killed! bad guys are killed by the same bad guys like the vigilantes!!!! if that is to complete my sentence! not killed by the governent people. there may be some, but it is already under investigation. we want to have a safer place to live, where we can walk the streets safely even nightitme! and please check the facts that crime rate now in our country in LESSER!!!! so why will we not LOVE our president???and the most important thing is he is not corrupt! if we can just live in a world that good people is just for a good world to live in and bad people should be isolated to bad people too!! then the world will have peace!!!! but that is not reality!!!!

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

agree with rica88 and Octagon all the way.

been to many agri outreach program before and the tractors from naha were no where to be seen!

now for the first time our team saw philippino farmers using them tractors !

such a happy feeling!

critics here have not been to ph for sure!

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte decided to dispense with judicial process enshrined within a court of Justice system. Law and order in the Philippines is an arbitrary form summary justice at the point of a gun of one his death squads.

Philippines: Duterte’s 100 days of carnage....

“Rodrigo Duterte’s first 100 days as president have been marked by state-sanctioned violence on a truly shocking scale"

Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/10/philippines-dutertes-hundred-days-of-carnage/

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@hironobumasa. thanks for your nice there are good things happening to our country right now. there may be some negative issues going on right now, but for a country to have progress, it may not be avoided to have bad things to happen. if they can only understand that the deaths of the bad guys cannot be compared to those who were innocent victims who were raped, robbed, kidnap for ransom etc...etc... by this drug crazed addicts. let us just all be hopeful that this world will still be a better place to live!

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

President Duterte, the former mayor of provincial city Davao, a family fiefdom which he lorded over for of 22 years is trying to extend his parochial, dictatorial mode of governance which is akin to running a mafia organization, to the presidency of the entire Philippines. His crudeness and obvious lack of any diplomatic skills and experience combined with his incapacity to listen and learn makes him utterly unsuitable for the job he was elected to. He not only embarrases his peers and long-time allies, he poses a clear and present danger to the stability of the South East Asian Region. It seems inevitable that, given the sorry history of governance in the Philippines, that his tenure will not be allowed to last long.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Oh of course rica88, its only the alleged bad guys that get subjected to summery execution, well that is until the next mistaken bad guy is member of your family.

The ensuing bloodshed has affected bystanders as well as alleged criminals, including a five-year-old girl who was shot to death by two men on motorbikes and many others killed in cases of “mistaken identity”. Many of the killings have been carried out by unknown assailants and there are credible reports of police complicity in these deaths.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@itsonlyrocknroll. check your facts straights and i can sense that you are not well informed about the truth! and oh! the members of my family will not be in any way be affected by those things because we are good citizens and avoiding any wrongdoings! those that were killed by vigilantes are those drug sellers, users, that were maybe ordered by those druglords to be killed for them not to be named! so you see, if you stay away from bad things, it will not in anyway affect you! our family is decent and drug free!

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte sought to assure Japan on Wednesday that his high-profile visit to China last week was about economics, not security,

Duterte not only achieve a lot of investment deals from China but he also announced that his country, like any other normal country, would have its own independent foreign policy. Instead of working under the thumb and control of other country, his country would work and act for its own interest in the world.

and vowed to stand on Tokyo’s side over the disputed South China Sea when the time came.

That doesn't make sense. Would Japan stand on Philippine's side over the disputed Senkuka/Diaoyu Island when the time comes? What Duterte really said(as quoted in other articles) is that Philippines won't abandon Japan and with a common belief that both countries will work peacefully to resolve the South China Sea issue. So, Philippine is not willing to working as pawn of some foreign design(like American's Asia Pivot) to oppose and contain China; as desired by Abe.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

I don't like the direction of how things are going. You can definitely tell there will be another WW on the horizon if people don't wake up. Maybe it is inevitable. I sometimes think stuff like this play into favour for Japan to revise its military and go back to war. but at the same time, you probably do have some stupid people in Washington who don't know what they are doing and are only about promoting a rainbow flag these days. the world should be disarming weapons and war, as well as dissolving barriers. If there wasn't a U.N. or U.S., you'd have to make one again. But at the same time, you have some corruption who has hijacked a lot of important decision making at the current moment unfortunately.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@itsonlyrocknroll one more thing, those who are near the police operations, they are also victims here, just like when a country bombs another country, innocent lives are sacrificed too! so, that is the saddest and ugly truth about evil in this world! the message of our President is for the next generation to have a better place to live in. so people in our country should stay away from crimes, drugs may it be small time or big time or else they will be risking their lives. or to be clear! try to be a good citizen of this world! is that hard to do?????

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Rica88, Lets walk though Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific report to the UN.

Have you no compassion for that 5 year old girls family. Honest question, are you a resident in Philippines ? Do you even accept Rafendi Djamin summery ?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

WE Believe You; Lol.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Rica88, Honestly I mean no ill will to your family, my comparison is purely a contrast in emotional close association. I am not barking.

If I am bereft of the facts, ill informed, then please enlighten me. You clearly have knowledge or connections to the ongoing situation on the ground. Can you qualify as factual reports details in Camille Elemia twitter feed, also the PNP campaigns 'Double Barrel' and 'TokHang', there are suggestions that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued kill lists contain his political opponents in the senate that could block his threats to sever UN/US ties.

In Numbers: The Philippines' 'war on drugs'....

http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/145814-numbers-statistics-philippines-war-drugs

Camille Elemia , Manila, Philippines...

https://twitter.com/CamilleElemia

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Does Duterte seriously think or believe that Communist China is just going to go as far as Economics with the Philippines?

Not without Chinese Purse Strings attached and a Chinese Pandora's Box as insurance.

Doesn't he know that any promises made by China are promises written on water?

First they'll purchase & own your Economy, then they'll make you owe them by owning your Debt, then they'll make you comply to your debt and they'll place their military right in your country & your backyard and make your country comply to Chinese Law.

*Rebel against them and here comes the Chinese Military.

Finally, when all that finally comes crashing down and the Philippine People become aware that their President sold them out to the Communist Chinese - then comes demonstrations and calls for change, then the riots and then Civil War.

Very Unfortunate.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Does anybody actually believe anything Duterte says? Does he believe it himself?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Saketown OCT. 27, 2016 - 01:48AM JST Does Duterte seriously think or believe that Communist China is just going to go as far as Economics with the Philippines?

The U.S. has been pulling back from economic assistance to the smaller and poorer but countries in the Pacific region for a number of decades now and China is filling the gap. This is apparent even in the US Pacific Territories. The US politicians are extremely short sighted as they do not see that economic development assistance keeps these countries in the U.S. economic orbit so that their respective economies and the financial institutions supporting it remain strongly influenced by international business patterns and regulations established with significant U.S. input. Duterte just negotiated for $13.5 billion in aid from China and a return of fishing rights to the Scarborough Shoal. That's a better deal than they were getting from the U.S.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Filipinos might want to start learning Mandarin!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Does Duterte seriously think or believe that Communist China is just going to go as far as Economics with the Philippines?

China is not communist.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

"I have declared that I will pursue an independent foreign policy. I want, maybe in the next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops. I want them out,” he said.

I wish a U.S.-sycophantic Abe had a thousandth of Duterte's guts and virtues.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@ Strangerland,

Do the Chinese have "elected officials"? Is it a Dictatorship? If the answer to the previous two questions is No, then the type of government in China is probably Communist. However, that said, they are a Quasi Capitalistic / Communist country. But always remember, the Communist leadership is in firm control, and if you step out of line, you could disappear quite quickly and you really do not have freedom of speech. Still, if your a law abiding citizen, you could probably live quite the happy life in China without ever a worry.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Duterte must be fully aware that Japan is not an independent sovereignty, always sycophantically following what Washington dictates to it as to security matters, thus allowing a large U.S. military footprint on its soil, especially in U.S. military colony Okinawa. Duterte is insinuating that his country must not be like Japan.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Do the Chinese have "elected officials"? Is it a Dictatorship? If the answer to the previous two questions is No, then the type of government in China is probably Communist.

What defines a governmental system as communist is that it follows the tenets of communism. Have you ever read them? If you did, you would see how glaringly obvious it is that China is not communist: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm

However, that said, they are a Quasi Capitalistic / Communist country.

Quasi Capitalistic, yes. Quasi Communist, no.

But always remember, the Communist leadership is in firm control, and if you step out of line, you could disappear quite quickly and you really do not have freedom of speech.

The party that calls themselves communist, yet does not follow the tenets of communism, is in control. Your other points have nothing to do with communism, they are actions performed by dictatorships or fascists.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@ Strangerland, Ok... then what would you call the form of Govt in China? I mean, according to the rest of the world, and even Wikipedia, China has a Communist form of Govt. What do you call it?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Ok... then what would you call the form of Govt in China?

It doesn't matter what I would call it, it matters what it is. It's an oligarchy.

And it's most definitely not communist. Did you read the link I posted: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

You might want to tell that to the Chinese... they think they're Communist!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The very real problem with populism and democracy in general is that lunatics like Duterte are genuinely popular with their citizens...through out due process and just start massacring 'drug users' - the whole thing is insane. Yet, the crowds keep applauding...The US may have its multitude of faults but you think China has got Pinoys best interests at heart?! !? Seriously - he could do real damage - say goodbye to an independent South China Sea - or should we call it the Glorious PRCs Xi Central Sea with bases up and down the length of it. Duterte can 'assure' Japan all he wants - he's with China now

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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