After pro-China pivot, Philippines' Duterte warming ties with US, says defence analyst

Analysts say Mr Rodrigo Duterte's shift away from Beijing could have significant implications. - Reuters

MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): After years of cozying up to China, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's foreign policy is now pivoting back to the country's longtime ally, the United States, according to a leading American think tank.

"Now, just as easily as he flipped one way, he's flopping the other: His China-friendly policy is effectively over, and he's doing his best to align the Philippines with the United States again," Derek Grossman, a senior defence analyst at the Rand Corporation, wrote in a commentary posted on Nov 2 on the agency's website.