Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has entered his second year in office in an unrivaled position of power. After a hectic diplomatic schedule, visiting 17 countries in less than a year, Duterte has also managed to establish new strategic partnerships, particularly with China, which he has visited twice in recent months. Shared concerns over transnational terrorism, however, have also brought Duterte and Western partners, particularly the U.S., closer together. As a result, the Philippines is in a strategic sweet spot, where it enjoys fruitful relations with all major Asia-Pacific powers.
As chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Duterte will likely continue to promote his brand of politics, which emphasizes law-and-order at home and closer economic ties with China abroad. Meanwhile, he will continue sidelining thorny issues such as the South China Sea disputes in regional conversations.
