Photo: ReutersWhile Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte proved this week that he can apologize almost as fast as he can offend, his unpredictability risks unsettling global leaders and investors alike. Duterte’s latest diplomatic dust-up, this time offensive comments aimed at US President Barack Obama, led to Washington calling off talks between the two leaders at a regional summit in Laos. The latest kerfuffle began on Monday as Duterte spoke to reporters before heading to a regional summit in Laos. “But the incident is indicative of where U.S.-Philippine relations are heading under Duterte.”‘Bloody’ warFor China, Duterte has similarly been hard to read. China overtook the US in 2006 as the Philippines’ biggest trading partner and hasn’t looked back, despite increasing tensions over territorial disputes.

Source: Mint September 07, 2016 03:19 UTC