Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Donald Trump lauded his antidrug campaign

According to a Reuters report published on December 2 (morning of December 3 in Manila), Mr. Trump also spoke via phone on that day with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Donald Trump confirmed a brief phone conversation with “the President of Taiwan” in a twitter feed Friday; meanwhile the outspoken U.S. President-elect also had a brief phone talk with Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte.

“President-elect Trump was sensitive to the Philippine’s drug problem and he wished president Duterte well in his anti-drugs campaign”, the spokesman said.

Some experts say Duterte’s appointment of special envoys to Washington suggest he aims to keep good ties.Among the envoys is multi-millionaire real estate tycoon Jose Antonio, who bought the rights to name a new office tower in Manila “Trump Towers”.U.S.

Andanar said Mr. Duterte, who has been called by some as the “Donald Trump” of Asia for his propensity for issuing gaudy, controversial statements, was satisfied with Trump’s support for his drug war and his respect for the country’s sovereignty. Duterte said, “I don’t want to quarrel anymore, because Trump has won”.

The exchange, which was said to have lasted 7 minutes, was described by a Duterte aide Christopher Bong Go as “very engaging and animated”.

Video released by Mr Duterte’s office showed the Philippine leader laughing as he chatted on the telephone, later saying Mr Trump would be “a good president for the United States of America”.

The White House has been critical of Duterte’s extrajudicial killings in his campaign against drug abuse.

“I can not preempt the President with regard to the rebooting of our relationship with the United States. And I said that, well, we assured him of our ties with America”, Duterte said. Trump, however claimed on Twitter that, “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME”, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed Taiwan for the conversation.

But Duterte was pleased over the exchange with Trump.

Duterte has hurled profanities at anyone who has referred to these actions as human rights violations, in particular responding to the European Union with the statement, “f*** you”.

Duterte for his part ordered a stop to joint exercises and naval patrols between the Philippine and USA militaries, and announced a “separation” of foreign policy from Washington.

Yasay added that, despite Duterte’s statements calling for closer military cooperation with China and Russian Federation, “we are not undertaking military alliance with anyone else”. In early November, Trump extended a bizarrely unpresidential invitation to the U.S.to British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Mr. Duterte, 71, dubbed the “Trump of the East”, has often been compared to Trump, 70.

On Friday, US and NATO Commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson said the Afghan forces had lost control of a small percentage of terrain they previously held.

CARPIO: These two announcements should reassure all Filipinos, in particular President Duterte, that the Mutual Defense Treaty will be honored in good faith by the US, and Japan and South Korea will interpret such announcements as a strong resolve by the U.S.to stay the course in the Asia-Pacific region.

“So at this point, let’s play it by ear”.

He said: “Your stay in my country was for your own benefit”.

Duterte and Trump have often been held in comparison-both men were elected in an anti-democratic backlash, and both flatter Russian Federation, make horrifying statements that upset the long-established diplomatic order, and scare the shit out of anyone with a brain.

Relations between the United States and the Philippines could have a “reboot” under President-elect Donald Trump, a Malacañang official said yesterday.

“He’s not invested in a policy of the past”, the source said of Trump.

“He is perfectly capable of talking to Duterte in an open way without being wedded to previous policy failures”, an unnamed source told the outlet. “If anyone is going to be able to right the ship, it’s someone with Mr. Trump’s profile”. “President elect Trump praised the Afghan forces’ defence of Afghanistan and its people and emphasised that the United States will continue to remain with the government and people of Afghanistan during his term”, it said.