President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not be asking for any military assistance from Washington to help wage against Beijing amid the growing concerns in the region on the Continued Chinese militarization of the Disputed waters. Trump, who has been on an Asian tour since the start of the month, is expected to raise concerns before Duterte on a number of issues concerning the region—including the rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and Beijing’s growing influence in the region worsened by the territorial sovereignty issues involving the South China Sea. While any planned bilateral meeting will not happen between the two leaders at the sidelines of the Apec summit, such could happen when Manila hosts the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit starting Nov. 12.

Bencito, J. P. (2017, November 11). PH shuns US help on sea dispute. Manila Standard, p. A2.