U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he did not mind Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to end a decades-old military agreement with the United States, a position at odds with that of his defense secretary who viewed the move with dismay.
Duterte on Tuesday announced termination of the two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper called the decision “unfortunate” as Washington and its allies press China to abide by “international rules” in Asia.
The Philippine military chief, armed forces commander General Felimon Santos, backed Duterte’s termination of the 1998 VFA and said doing so would allow the Philippines to expand its modernization program and its engagement with Australia and Japan—both U.S. allies.
Santos said planes and ships were being procured from countries other than the United States, such as South Korea, while Filipinos were now “doing the leg work” on intelligence gathering on Islamist extremists.
“You know these sentiments of soldiers, we are all high morale,” he told reporters. “It will make us more eager to build up our own capabilities.”
The U.S. embassy in Manila called it “a serious step with significant implications.” Duterte’s decision, sparked by the revocation of a U.S. visa held by a former police chief who led Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, takes legal effect in 180 days and U.S. officials have expressed hope it can be reversed or delayed.
“I don’t really mind if they would like to do that, it will save a lot of money,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Duterte’s move and whether anything could be done to get him to reconsider. “My views are different from others,” he added.
David Adams
Article URL : https://www.ntd.com/trump-says-he-does-not-mind-if-philippines-cuts-military-pact-with-us_434766.html