“It’s a gift, not a victory,” Mr. Yan said of Mr. Duterte’s remarks. It’s a gift.”At the same time, Mr. Duterte’s hosts were startled by his anti-American remarks, raising concerns that he could become a liability. In the longer term, China would relish such a policy because it would further the country’s goal of control of the South China Sea and complicate American military planning. Mr. Zhang, the Lingnan University professor, said Mr. Duterte had “confirmed that the bilateral approach does work better.”“This lends major support to China,” Mr. Zhang said. Vietnam is now being forced to rethink its stance of leaning toward the United States, he said.

Source: International New York Times October 24, 2016 18:11 UTC