Donald Trump, Rodrigo Duterte Wreck US Influence in Asia
Decision to terminate VFA ultimately plays into Chinese hands and weakens Manila
The United States’ regional “pivot to Asia” is now probably dead at the hands of Presidents Donald Trump in Washington and Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. That could also mean the end of the 70-year military and diplomatic dominance of the US in Asia, to Manila’s detriment.
Trump’s chaotic approach to diplomacy had already weakened a rebalancing str…
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