An apparently jubilant China  announced on Friday that it is fully supporting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's shocking decision to "separate" from the United States.

It pointed out that Philippines is a sovereign state and its leader has every right to make "independence choices."

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"Duterte is elected by the people," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a news briefing. "We believe he will make choices independently which benefits the Philippines and its people in mind."  

"The sovereign state Philippines can make decisions and policies based on its own interests and we respect that," Hua continued.

The Philippine leader announced his country's complete spilt from the US at a business conference attended by the Chinese and Filipino business community.

"I announce my separation from the United States," he said. "Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost."

Duterte made the announcement shortly after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Reacting to Duterte's shocking statement, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the US was "baffled by this rhetoric" and that Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel would be travelling to Manila this weekend to seek explanation on recent developments.

Philippines sudden decision to mend ties with China has surprised many, considering the recent tension in their bilateral ties following the arbitration tribunal's verdict about the ongoing South China Sea dispute.

However, most experts are taking a cautious view of Manila's abrupt shift in its foreign policy visa via China and the US.

They claimed that the Philippines has too much to lose if it completely breaks ties with the US. It is worth noting, though, that it can certainly afford to maintain some distance from its once close ally, experts added.

The US and Philippines' bilateral ties have been greatly underscored by their mutual aim to counter China's aggression in South China Sea. For fulfilling this aim, the US, for many decades, has been offering  military and financial assistance to Manila.

TagsPhilippines, Philippines And China, Rodrigo Duterte, Rodrigo duterte's Visit to China