- Title: Philippine minister 'clarifies' Duterte comments, says trade with U.S. safe
- Date: 21st October 2016
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 21, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** TRADE MINISTER, RAMON LOPEZ, BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) TRADE MINISTER, RAMON LOPEZ, SAYING: "From what we can read on his message, he's just lessening the independence on one side. It's true that we are too dependent and close to one side. What he was saying really is balancing his friendship and partnerships." JOURNALIST STANDING (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) TRADE MINISTER, RAMON LOPEZ, SAYING: "I guess he might (have been misinterpreted), so what we are saying he just has some colourful words, because realistically you cannot stop the transactions. there are a lot of investments to us from the U.S., we export, we import." LOPEZ BEING INTERVIEWED PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE SECRETARY, MARTIN ANDANAR, BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English/Filipino) PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE SECRETARY, MARTIN ANDANAR, SAYING: "You know it can be read in a lot of ways but from my understanding it's about economic investment, it's all about that. For a long time we were very dependent on the United States but if you look at the amount of investment, the first on the list is Japan, then China, so it's just saying that it's about time for us to open our doors to other countries for business, the Philippines is open for investment." JOURNALIST FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE SECRETARY, MARTIN ANDANAR, SAYING: "Of course, that's always been the policy of the President that he wants an independent foreign policy, that he will fight for the rights of every Filipino and he serves no master but the Filipinos." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS VARIOUS OF PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT, RODRIGO DUTERTE, WALKING WITH ENTOURAGE OFFICIAL CARS LEAVING
- Embargoed: 5th November 2016 10:39
- Keywords: China Philippines trade minister Ramon Lopez Martin Andanar
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00154Y6PFP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Philippines will maintain trade and economic ties with the United States, Trade Minister Ramon Lopez said on Friday, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from Washington.
Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he was paving the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with long-time ally Washington deteriorate.
Duterte's efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.
Lopez sought to explain Duterte's comments.
"From what we can read on his message, he's just lessening the independence on one side. It's true that we are too dependent and close to one side. What he was saying really is balancing his friendship and partnerships," Lopez told reporters in Beijing, adding he believed the comments may have been misinterpreted.
"I guess he might (have been misinterpreted), so what we are saying- he just has some colourful words, because realistically you cannot stop the transactions. There are a lot of investments to us from the U.S., we export, we import."
Duterte's Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, also sought to clarify what Duterte meant when he stated "I will be dependent on you for all time" referring to China.
"You know it can be read in a lot of ways but from my understanding it's about economic investment, it's all about that. For a long time we were very dependent on the United States but if you look at the amount of investment, the first on the list is Japan, then China, so it's just saying that it's about time for us to open our doors to other countries for business, the Philippines is open for investment," he said.
"That's always been the policy of the president that he want's an independent foreign policy, that he will fight for the rights of every Filipino and he serves no master but the Filipinos," he added.
Duterte's tone towards China is in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States, after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs.
He has called U.S. President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch" and told him to "go to hell". On Wednesday (October 19), about 1,000 anti-U.S. protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila calling for the removal of U.S. troops from the southern island of Mindanao.
Duterte quickly left the hotel where he had been staying during his visit, and declined to answer any questions from journalists. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None