2 related stories neither about Trump !
The 1st is a video from the president of the Philippines' Duterte :
https://www.yahoo.com/news/duterte-meets-xi-philippines-cozies-beijing-044808788.html
Excerpts :
Duterte is in China for a four-day trip seen as confirming his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing's sphere of influence -- and its deep pockets.
"I announce my separation from the United States," he said to applause at a meeting in the Chinese capital.
"America does not control our lives. Enough bullshit," he added in a rambling speech that flipped between languages.
"How can you be the most powerful industrial country when you owe China and you are not paying it?"
....
Duterte has also suspended joint US-Philippine patrols in the strategically vital South China Sea, and has threatened an end to joint military exercises.
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The 2nd story is about the severe typhoon hitting the Philippines NOW :
Typhoon slams into northeastern Philippines
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It seems that any treaties between the US & the Philippines are now null & void . As far as economic aid to that country I suppose that the US will not be helping this time . Will China give them aid ? Good luck with that !
Don't think he has the "power" to withdraw from the SEATO Treaty - as brash as he may seem.
You may have a valid point . Do you think it would require a vote from his parliament to make that the law ?
Here's more news items that address that precise point :
The opposition is already making hay over Duterte’s China trip. A Supreme Court justice in Manila has warned the president that, were he to give up sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal, it could result in his impeachment. The only good news from the American standpoint is that what Duterte is doing could be undone by a more rational successor, assuming that democracy in the Philippines survives this time of testing.
Would anyone care to hazard a guess about Duterte's motives ?
Here's a blog piece about this event :
Excerpt :
Before arriving in the PRC Philippine President Duterte declared “I am not breaking away. I just want to be friendly with everybody.”