Why is Duterte canceling the US-Philippines military cooperation agreement?

This week, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte announced the cancellation of the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States. While withdrawal from the military cooperation pact doesn’t dissolve the mutual defense treaty between the two countries, Lindsey Ford warns that it reinforces a narrative of declining U.S. influence and leadership in the Indo-Pacific, and is also a significant loss for the safety and security of the Philippine people.

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