Trump brushes aside Philippines' decision to end military pact with US
13 February, 2020
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Feb 12) ignored the choice of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to finish a decades-old military agreement with us , saying he didn't really mind and it might economize .
Duterte announced the termination of the two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) on Tuesday, a move US Defence Secretary Mark Esper called "unfortunate." the choice will become in 180 days.
Asked whether he would attempt to persuade Duterte to reconsider, Trump told reporters at the White House: "Well I never minded that considerably to be honest. We helped the Philippines considerably . We helped them defeat ISIS ... i do not really mind if they might wish to do this , it'll save tons of cash . My views are different from others."
Trump said he had "a very good" relationship with Duterte and added: "We'll see what happens."
Duterte's decision, sparked by the revocation of a US visa held by a former captain who led his bloody war on drugs, could complicate US military interests within the Asia-Pacific region as China's ambitions rise.
The VFA is vital to the general US-Philippines alliance and sets out rules for US soldiers operating within the Philippines. It underpins what Washington has called an "ironclad" relationship despite Duterte's complaints about US hypocrisy, ill-treatment and ageing weapons.
Ending the VFA could hurt Washington's future interests in maintaining an Asia-Pacific troop presence amid friction over the presence folks personnel in Japan and South Korea and security concerns about China and North Korea .
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