Duterte Is Looking for Friends in New Places

Since taking office at the end of June, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has managed to insult U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. ambassador, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Speaking on Sept. 20 in his hometown of Davao City, Duterte found a new target, rejecting the European Union’s condemnation of his crackdown on alleged drug dealers, which has led to thousands of vigilante-style killings. “I’ll tell them, ‘F--- you,’ ” Duterte said.

Now the former crime-fighting mayor is looking for friends in new places and ramping up his attacks on domestic critics. On Sept. 27 he accused the U.S. of “undermining” the Philippines and said he will visit China and Russia to pursue what he called “new alliances” in trade. Duterte has also expressed interest in acquiring weapons from China, even though the two countries have been at odds for years over islands in the South China Sea (known in Manila as the West Philippine Sea).