‘Asian Donald Trump’ makes allies nervous about the East Sea

Mr. Rodrigo Duterte became the next president of the Philippines after his opponents gave up.

On May 10, Mr. Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of Davao City in the southern Philippines, won the presidential election in this country, after a series of shocking statements that made him considered `the Donald Trump of Europe`.

Commentator Lindsay Murdoch of Fairfax Media (Australia) called Mr. Duterte’s victory a `bomb` that had just been thrown into Asian politics, and predicted that his leadership style and foreign policy could

Accordingly, a 71-year-old mayor famous for his achievements in suppressing crime but without any experience in handling complex foreign affairs issues will enter the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila in September.

The `second Donald Trump` becoming president of the Philippines also threatens to destroy the fragile hope that ASEAN will still maintain a unified stance in the confrontation with China in the East Sea, Mr. Murdoch said.

According to the Guardian, Mr. Duterte is compared to US presidential candidate Trump because both of them made shocking statements during their election campaigns.

Observers believe that Duterte’s strong statements related to China and the South China Sea during the election campaign mainly stem from his `iron fist` leadership style, who has worked to suppress crime.

This is reflected in his contradictory statements, leaving diplomats confused and unable to understand what this future president will do to deal with Vietnam’s sovereignty claims and blockade.

At one point, he asserted that he would separate from other ASEAN countries to negotiate directly with China, and even considered giving up the Philippines’ sovereignty claims in the South China Sea in exchange for a cooperative relationship.

The US is expected to be very worried about the future of the military bases it plans to deploy in the Philippines after a long period of negotiations.

He also publicly stated that a compromise with China on disputed islands in the East Sea is more beneficial than letting the Philippines become `America’s buffer zone in the Pacific`.

A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine supply ship in the East Sea.

On Monday, Duterte suddenly said that he wanted to resolve the South China Sea dispute through multilateral negotiations with key allies such as the US, Australia and Japan, as well as claimant countries.

The president is unpredictable

According to analysts, although his political views are different from billionaire Trump’s, the unpredictability of new leader Duterte comes at a time when the Philippines and its neighbors in Southeast Asia are facing great pressure from China.

Mr. Duterte won with a foreign policy that was not detailed and unclear enough.

Therefore, commentator Murdoch believes that Mr. Duterte’s election is a step backward in diplomatic relations between the Philippines and its allies and partners, which have become warmer under Mr. Aquino when the parties shook hands.

Experts predict that warmth will gradually turn cold in the new era.

His office later issued an apology for his offensive statement, but Duterte immediately stated that he never paid attention to the document.

Mr. Duterte is famous for his controversial statements.

President Aquino compared Duterte to fascist leader Adolf Hitler and called him `a would-be dictator`.

Mr. Murdoch predicted that after taking office, Mr. Duterte may tone down his rhetoric and start listening to advisers on how to govern the island nation of 100 million people, which is in a tense confrontation with China.

`A president with shocking statements like Mr. Duterte is not unprecedented in the Philippines, a country where local leaders, famous actors or even former prisoners have succeeded in their careers.

See more: ‘Donald Trump of the Philippines’ wants the US to jointly resolve the East Sea issue