Duterte says 'goodbye America', calls Obama 'son of a whore'.

Philippine President Duterte said yesterday in Beijing that "it's time to say goodbye to America" ​​and continued to criticize Obama.

President Duterte poses for a photo in Beijing with officials from the Friends of the Philippines organization. Photo: Inquirer.

"You are in my country for your own benefit. Now it's time to say goodbye, my friends," the Inquirer quoted Duterte as saying. The Philippine leader said he would not go to the US again, because he only received insults there. Duterte once again called the US President "the son of a whore."

The Philippine president is on a four-day trip to China, expected to confirm Manila's "pivot" toward Beijing instead of Washington. "What separates us from China is not something we decide. I will set a new direction," Duterte said.

In a speech to the Filipino community in Beijing, Duterte said that Manila has received very little from its longtime ally Washington, which once ruled the Philippines during the colonial era.

China's Global Times published an editorial yesterday stating that Washington considers Manila a "puppet" and that Duterte is "redesigning foreign policy based on the interests of the Philippines."

During his time in Beijing, President Duterte will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. The Philippine president said he hopes China will lift its ban on banana imports, an economic sanction imposed over the "South China Sea dispute."

Duterte, who came to power in June, declared he was fed up with the fact that Philippine foreign policy was dictated by Western agendas.

Foreign policy under the new Philippine president has changed dramatically compared to his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III. Aquino sued Beijing in the Arbitration Tribunal, and the Tribunal issued a ruling that was largely favorable to the Philippines.

However, after taking power, President Duterte decided not to publicize the outcome of the lawsuit. He also halted joint patrols with the US in the South China Sea and threatened not to participate in annual military exercises with Washington.

Last month, Duterte also caused a diplomatic storm when he called Obama a "son of a whore" after hearing that the US president would raise the issue of human rights in the Philippines at a meeting of Asian leaders.

According to VNE