Is Duterte’s Love Affair With China Coming to an End?
- Philippine leader lashed out at Beijing twice in one week
- Polls show his popularity slipping, concerns on China growing
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images
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Is Rodrigo Duterte’s love affair with China coming to end?
The Philippine president has twice lashed out at his nation’s largest trading partner in the past week, urging China to “rethink” and “temper its behavior” in the disputed South China Sea. They mark some of the strongest statements since his dramatic 2016 pivot toward Beijing away from the U.S., a longtime military ally.