The United States only has itself to blame for why President Rodrigo Duterte decided to pursue closer ties with China.
In a speech before Filipino-Chinese businessmen in Malacañang Tuesday (August 6), Duterte said he had to approach Chinese President Xi Jinping for help in procuring firearms for the armed forces since some American lawmakers don’t want the US to sell them to the Philippines.
The US State Department in 2016 stopped the sale of around 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police after some American lawmakers threatened to oppose it due to human rights concerns under the Duterte administration.
President Rodrigo Duterte said the United States (US) is “responsible” for the Philippines’ warmer ties with China after it stopped the sale of rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Speaking before Filipino-Chinese businessmen in Malacanang, Duterte told the US: “You practically drove me into the waiting arms of the Chinese government.”
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“You were the ones responsible, you had two congressmen there. Took the floor in US Congress to denounce me as a violator of human rights and everything. At hindi ninyo — pinigil ninyo ‘yung armas,” he added.
In 2016, the US State Department stopped the sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the PNP after US legislators said they would oppose it over concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines.
After the arms deal fell through with the US, the country’s longtime military ally, Duterte said his government decided to look for other sources of firearms, which led him to China and and even Russia.
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“What I am supposed to do? Then I went to Russia. Again, I talked to President Putin and he said, “No problem. Bigyan kita ng armas. Bigyan kita ng truck.” Ayan dumating,” Duterte said.
The President then said that Russia and China did not ask anything in exchange of the military aid they provided the Philippines.
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This article first appeared on Inquirer.net.
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