An Analysis Of The Adjustment Of The Duterte Administration's US Policy

During his tenure as president of the Philippines,Aquino III abandoned “the balance of great power” diplomacy of the Arroyo era and turned to be completely on the side of the United States,strengthened the alliance with the United States,and focused on strengthening military ties and cooperation.It was influenced by the personal factors of Aquino III,as well as the background of the implementation of the “Asia-Pacific rebalance” strategy of the United States.The seemingly rational combination and the substantial improvement of the alliance relationship between the two countries were primarily aimed at coping with the influence and impact of the “China's rise” in the Asia-Pacific region.Therefore,after the arrival of Aquino III,the strengthening of relations between the Philippines and the United States in various fields seemed to be prepared.For a time,the South China Sea issue was “sizzled” and the regional tensions escalated increasingly.Surprisingly,after Duterte was elected president,the diplomatic strategy adopted by Duterte was contrary to Aquino III largely.Unlike Aquino III,after Duterte came to power,the Philippines has been getting closer and closer to China,not only changing the attitude of being completely on the side of the United States before,but even threatening to part with the United States.Although he himself told the media that it was just a “spoken mistake” and the alliance between the Philippines and the United States would not change,but compared with before,the Philippines was indeed farther and farther away from the United States.Therefore,many scholars and experts intepreted Duterte's foreign policy as “alienate the United States and get close to China” diplomacy.So,what are the reasons for pushing Duterte to the road of “alienate the United States and close to China” ? This paper will analyze the changes of Philippine policies towards the United States before and after Duterte took office,and analyze the reasons behind this change by the comparison,so as to better understand Duterte's policy adjustments to the United States.