President Trump praised the Philippines' president for an "unbelievable job" in a fight against illegal drugs that has left thousands dead and drawn condemnation from American lawmakers, according to a leaked transcript of their telephone conversation last month. Trump's discussion with Rodrigo Duterte is likely to reinforce the impression that Trump is sidelining human rights concerns in his foreign policy. Neither the Philippine government nor the White House verified the transcript, but they didn't dispute its contents. He offered to call Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge Beijing to use its leverage with Pyongyang. John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, criticized the contents of the conversation.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 25, 2017 02:37 UTC