September 24, 2016

"Japan's Kyodo News Service reported that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit China from October 19 to 20 before heading for Japan on October 25. The report said the new president had planned to make Japan his first trip outside of Southeast Asia, but China lobbied Manila, resulting in a change of plan.

The sequence of visit by a new national leader usually tells unspoken information. If the Kyodo report is true, speculation that Duterte is trying to improve ties with China will find support.

China has expressed welcome to an early visit by Duterte. Once he comes to China before going to Japan, a new, positive interaction between China and the Philippines, starkly different from the Aquino III era, may be unveiled."

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