2020-02-09 Southeast Asia
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Philippine president says he will scrap military pact with US
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[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will end the Visiting Forces Agreement that underpins U.S. military training exercises with the country's troops, one of his top advisers announced Friday.
"The president said he is terminating the VFA," Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Friday. "I asked for clarification, and he said he is not changing his decision."
That choice is another blow to the relationship between the United States and the Philippines, which has suffered for years from disputes over Duterte’s human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty ...
record. The belligerent president announced a plan to terminate the deal, which provides legal protection to U.S. troops who visit the island for military drills, after the State Department reportedly canceled the visa of a political ally and former police chief who is suspected of involvement in extrajudicial killings.
"I'm warning you ... if you won't do the correction on this, I will terminate the ... Visiting Forces Agreement," Duterte said late last month. "I'll end that son of a bitch."
Lorenzana argued against scrapping the agreement in a legislative hearing on Thursday, emphasizing that the pact is "more beneficial" to the Philippines "compared to any benefits" that might seem to come from ending it.
"Our contribution to regional defense is anchored in our military alliance with the world's last superpower," he told politicians.
Any weakening of the U.S.-Philippine alliance is a cause for celebration in Beijing, as U.S. officials believe that China is pursuing a plan to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and ultimately challenge the U.S. as a global power.
The Philippines have an important role to play in countering that effort because they are one of the countries with the legal standing to contest China’s claim to illusory sovereignty over the South China Sea, a vital international shipping lane.
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Posted by Fred 2020-02-09 00:00||
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Posted by USN, Ret. 2020-02-09 09:47||
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Posted by trailing wife 2020-02-09 20:10||
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