US defense chief's Philippines visit overshadowed as Duterte trumpets China, Russia ties

MANILA, Philippines — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis departed the Philippines on Wednesday, after having praised its military for defeating—with Washington's help—Islamic State-inspired extremists in Marawi City.

Mattis' arrival earlier this week for the ASEAN meetings was on time for the conclusion of the months-long insurgency, but his visit to the US' oldest ally in Asia shared the spotlight with grand gestures by geopolitical rivals.

China turned over heavy construction equipment for the rehabilitation of the decimated city. Russia also turned over trucks and firearms after its warships docked at Subic Bay, a former American facility.

Even as the coinciding of events involves China and Russia, both of whom President Rodrigo Duterte has warmed up to, Mattis insisted that he does not "put a lot of significance to it."

"I know some trucks [from Russia] are done being dropped off to help the country that's fighting terrorists right now... It's a sovereign decision by the Philippines," Mattis said en route to Thailand.

In a separate interview where he was asked whether he had reservations about Manila's welcoming of weapons from Moscow, Mattis gave a terse answer: "No."

Manila has long aligned its interests with Washington's as cemented in a decades-old defense treaty. Meanwhile, it has had a tense relationship with Beijing over opposing claims in the South China Sea, culminating in last year's arbitral award that rejected China's position, until recently.

Bringing his personal aversion for the US to office, Duterte chose to pull China closer, touting Beijing's support for his controversial war on drugs and costly infrastructure development plan.

At the end of the counterterrorism campaign in Marawi, Duterte heaped praises on China and Russia for what he described as considerable assistance to the Philippines. He remained relatively reserved in publicly acknowledging the broader support of the country's traditional ally, but this does not come as a surprise.

Duterte delivered harsh rhetoric in his first year as president over what he deemed as the US' meddling in the Philippines' affairs. In recent months, Duterte has openly admitted he would tone down and made a scant acknowledgment of Washington's contribution to the ongoing battle in Marawi.

The US meanwhile extended one form of assistance after another. It provided intelligence to the military in the months-long operation in Marawi. It also turned over a major grant of various firearms in May when the clash erupted.

Yet the president graced ceremonies for China and Russia's assistance and credited the Asian giant for the military's victory while Mattis was in the country.

Emerging from a bilateral meeting with the tough-talking leader, Mattis described it as "very warm" with a "very open discussion."

"It was a very good discussion with the president and we talked about the way ahead, and we're on the same team," Mattis said, as seen in a transcript released by the US Department of Defense.

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A day after China pledged a new donation of four "fast boats" and Mattis' departure, the US Ambassador to the Philippine Sung Kim on Thursday announced the nation's pride for having "supported the Armed Forces of the Philippines as they defeated the terrorist insurrection in Marawi City."

On the same day, the US military released a short video explaining the two country's Mutual Defense Treaty showing activities the two armed forces undertake.