Duterte: “If my plane explodes, ask the CIA”
(Baonghean.vn) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte does not rule out the possibility that the US may be very upset and see his decision to get weapons from China and Russia as a threat, after Washington refused to provide weapons to Manila.
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| Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AFP |
The Philippines has been seeking modern weapons and small arms to step up its fight against Islamic extremists linked to the Islamic State group since Duterte took office in June 2016.
However, Washington’s refusal to sell assault rifles over concerns about the country’s human rights record in its ongoing war on drugs has forced Duterte to look for new suppliers. Manila, which has long relied on the US for weapons, has turned to China and Russia to fill the gap.
“The reality is that the Americans are not keeping their word,” Rodrigo Duterte said on April 5, explaining his decision to seek alternative partners. Beijing and Moscow have responded to the call, even agreeing to provide some weapons for free, the Philippine leader told a group of farmers and fishermen gathered in the presidential palace reception hall.
“So I went to China and asked for help: ‘I need weapons.’ Xi Jinping said: ‘No problem. No need to pay, it’s all yours,’” Duterte said in a lengthy speech.
“So I went to Russia… ‘I came here to ask for help.’ ‘Okay, I will give it to you, free of charge,’” Duterte recalled what was believed to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response during a bilateral meeting last year.
Following Duterte’s visit to Moscow in May 2017, Russia did indeed send a modest arms shipment to the Asian country. Last October, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu personally oversaw the delivery of some 5,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles and about 1 million rounds of ammunition as a gift of the new relationship between Moscow and Manila.
In addition to machine guns and ammunition, the Russian Pacific Fleet also transferred 20 military trucks to the Philippine armed forces, according to AFP.
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| Mr. Duterte inspects a batch of guns that China delivered to the Philippines in June 2017. Photo: Twitter |
Beijing has also shipped weapons to Manila, donating thousands of assault rifles and hundreds of sniper rifles as well as ammunition to the Philippines in a show of “friendship and cooperation” in June and October last year.
However, this does not mean that Manila is seeking to distance itself from Washington and join any form of military bloc with Beijing and Moscow that could somehow threaten the United States, the Philippine leader stressed.
“There is no military alliance. I am not ready for that. So far Russia and China have not asked for anything, not even a piece of paper or a pencil,” he said.
Duterte also noted that some in the US might find his arguments unconvincing: “At least, if my plane explodes, or if there is a roadside bomb that explodes, maybe you can ask the CIA. That is my experience, I share it with everyone.”
