Philippines' Duterte, Back From China Trip, Says He's Not Severing US Ties

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he's not cutting the nation's cord with the U.S. and that maintaining ties with America will be to the best interest of his country, clarifying comments he made in China during his four-day state visit.

"It's not severance of ties," Duterte said in a televised briefing in Davao around midnight after returning from Beijing. "It's in the best interest of my country that I don't do that," he said. On Thursday, he told Filipino and Chinese businessmen and officials during a forum in Beijing that "in this venue, I announce my separation from the U.S."

Back in the Philippines, Duterte said that the remarks refer to a foreign policy that doesn't "dovetail" with America. Duterte's cabinet members often seek to tone down his statements – a routine they followed again on Thursday and Friday.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said hours after Duterte's speech in Beijing that the Philippines will maintain relations with the West and that the president is "rebalancing" foreign policy and broadening the country's alliance.