Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte: America Is Pushing Us To Find A Quarrel With China, Start A War; It Should Remove Its Bases From Our Islands

On April 16, 2024, the Chinese Global Times media outlet posted on its YouTube channel an excerpt from an interview with former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who said that the Philippines do not have any quarrel with China, but that the United States is attempting to push the Philippine government to find one and to start a war. He said that the American military bases should be removed from the Philippines, because America should not be using the Philippine islands as launching decks.

Rodrigo Duterte: "Remember that we do not have any quarrel with China. We know that if it [conflicts] would come, it would come because of the Americans are there. Americans are the ones pushing the Philippine government to go out there and final a quarrel and eventually maybe start a war.

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"But I do not think that America will die for us. And yet America has so many bases in the Philippines now. I am sorry for my country. And if God would allow it and perchance, I would reverse the situation. I would remove their bases, and I would tell the Americans, you have so many ships, you don't need my island as a launching pad or as a launching deck for you."