Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he plans to open trade alliances with China and Russia. Visits to both countries this year are also being planned. Duterte has accused the US of hypocrisy, saying the Philippines is at the point of no return in its relationship with its former colonial ruler.

"There is a RP-US Pact that was in the ‘50s. It says that an attack on the Philippines would be an attack of the United States. But in the United States Constitution, it says that before a President can declare war, with anybody in defense of an ally, he has to Congress for permission to go to war. That’s the problem. So if Congress will not give him that authority, what will happen to us?" said Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte vows to open the Philippines to more Chinese investments amid disputes over the South China Sea. He says he will open up the airline, telco, shipping and real estate industries to China and Russia. He says the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is expecting him in Moscow soon.