Philippine officials sought on Friday to play down comments by President Rodrigo Duterte who announced his "separation" from the United States a day earlier, saying their country will maintain U.S. trade and economic ties. "With that, in this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States. "We have yet to hear from the Philippine government what Duterte's remarks on 'separation' might mean, but it is creating unnecessary uncertainty." She also said the United States would honor alliance commitments and treaty obligations with the Philippines. Wrangling over territory in the South China Sea, where Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, has consumed China-Philippines relations in recent years.

Source: Egypt Independent October 21, 2016 12:11 UTC