TOKYO, Japan – Japan does not have to worry about the Philippines’ recent rebalancing of foreign policy away from the United States or play the role of peacemaker between the two nations, according to a top Filipino government official.
The Philippines merely wants to “befriend” with Asian neighbors and “bond” with them as President Duterte embarks on a three-day official visit to Japan, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said.
“We are not severing ties with anyone. We want to maintain diplomacy with almost all countries in the world,” Alvarez said in a media interview, ahead of the President’s arrival in Tokyo.
“We are all neighbors in Asia. We should befriend our neighbors, we should bond together as Asians,” Alvarez added. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)