Duterte to scrap war games with America

Hanoi, September 29 

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he was giving notice to the United States, his country's long-standing ally, that joint exercises of Filipino and American troops next week will be the last such drills.

He told the Filipino community in Hanoi late yesterday night that he will maintain the military alliance with the US because of the countries' 1951 defense treaty. But he added next week's exercises will proceed only because he did not want to embarrass his defense secretary.

Duterte said during a two-day visit to meet Vietnam's leaders that he wants to establish new trade and commercial alliances with China and Russia, and that the war games were something Beijing does not want.

"I would serve notice to you now that this will be the last military exercise," he said. "Jointly, Philippines-US, the last one."

"I will maintain the military alliance because there is an RP-US pact which our countries signed in the early '50s," he said, referring to the Republic of the Philippines. "I will establish new alliances for trade and commerce and you are scheduled to hold war games again, which China does not want."

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay Jr., however, told reporters in Hanoi that the joint military exercises as agreed upon by the previous administration will continue until 2017, and that the two sides will review whether there is a need for them to continue beyond 2017. — AP