Philippines will pursue independent foreign policy: Rodrigo Duterte

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte emphasised on Saturday that Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy "without any interference" from any country.

"In our relations with the world, the Philippines will pursue an independent foreign policy," Duterte said in a news conference in Davao City, reports the Global Times.

He added, "We will observe, and must insist, I repeat, I must insist, on the time-honored principles of sovereign equality, non-interference and the commitment to a peaceful settlement of disputes to best serve our people and protect the interests of our country."

Duterte said he thinks this was "the most telling words" that he uttered in the just concluded summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN dialogue partners in Vientiane, Laos.

He said that it was not his intention to offend anybody in that meeting, adding he just wanted "to send message that we have every right to pursue an independent foreign policy without interference."

"I hope they realized it by now. I do not have an obligation to please everybody or to please some person," ," he said without elaborating, or mentioning any names or specific country that he intends to send a clear message to.

But before the ASEAN Summit, Duterte was surrounded be controversy for making "inappropriate remarks" against United States President Barack Obama.

Duterte's remarks prompted Obama to cancel a scheduled meeting with him last Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.