PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte blurted out no expletives on Wednesday as he left for a two-day state visit to Vietnam to toast 40 years of cooperation between the two countries.
Before he left for Vientiane, Laos, earlier this month for an Asean summit, Duterte cursed US President Barack Obama, calling him a “son of a whore” as he vowed not to be lectured by the US leader on human rights once they met in Laos.
In his speech before boarding a chartered Philippine Airlines plane on Wednesday, Duterte said he would be pushing for a stronger maritime and economic cooperation with the Philippines’ neighbor.
“On this introductory visit to Hanoi, I look forward to renewing the ties of friendship between the Philippines and Vietnam and affirm the commitment to work closer to achieve shared goals for our countries and peoples,” Duterte said.
“I am confident that after my visit, the relationship between Vietnam and the Philippines will become even stronger.
Duterte is expected to meet with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.
Malacañang said Duterte will also pursue stronger economic, agricultural, defense and maritime cooperation with Vietnam, including ways to advance collaboration in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“We will work with Vietnam and the rest of the Asean in suppressing the proliferation of illegal drugs for us to secure a better future for our generation and the generations to come,” Duterte said.
During the Philippines’ hosting of the Apec summit last year, it and Vietnam agreed to sign a joint strategic partnership agreement that would boost their cooperation in several areas, including defense and maritime security.
The growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea in recent years has led to a growing convergence of strategic interests between Manila and Hanoi, who are both claiming certain areas in the South China Sea as are Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and China.