Yasay said in a Facebook posting that Duterte had "unmistakably" stated that severing ties with Washington was not in the nation's interest. On Friday, Duterte's economic managers were quick to clarify the Philippines was not cutting economies and trade ties with the United States. I cannot do that," Duterte told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao after he arrived from his four-day trip to Beijing. Duterte's abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however. On Tuesday, an opinion poll showed Filipinos still trust the United States far more than China.

Source: Standard Digital October 22, 2016 13:07 UTC