'Can choose friends who are kind to us', Philippines Prez ahead of China trip

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte while looking forward to his second trip to China this May to attend the "One Belt, One Road" Summit said on Friday said that he can 'choose friends who are kind and understanding'.

"But certainly I can choose friends who are kind to us and those who understand us and those who do not make imposition," Xinhua quoted Duterte as saying alluding to China during a speech at a meeting of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCII) in Manila.

He made the remark as he reiterated that he has no plans to enter into a military alliance with any country right now.

"I'm going there. I was invited by the president himself... It's a very ambitious project of China. I'd like to thank China again. Our exports of banana have doubled and the pineapple increased by 50 percent," Duterte said, adding that Beijing has also promised to "open the floodgates" for more Philippine products.

Duterte's China visit in October last year came amid fallout with the US after a succession of anti-American outbursts from the 71-year-old, including calling former president Barack Obama a "son of a whore" and telling him to "go to hell".

At the same time, Duterte had said that he would end joint military exercises with the US and also admonished the country for criticising him over his bloody war against drugs that has been linked with thousands of extrajudicial killings.