Chinese New Year 2019

The docking of the USS Montgomery in Davao City for a port visit shows the Duterte administration's "utter subservience to the US imperialists," the Communist Party of the Philippines says, adding this is happening "even as Duterte displays outright slavishness to China over the Recto Bank incident."

Under the Duterte administration's "independent foreign policy", the Philippines has sought better relations with China and Russia while, at least outwardly, cooling ties with the US and the European Union, whom the government has accused of trying to meddle in domestic issues.

But the CPP claims the "docking of the USS Montgomery dwarfs China's trawl ships in the South China Sea, literally and politically."

It claims that "US warships carrying guns, missiles, fighter jets, hundreds of soldiers and nuclear arms, dock directly on Philippine civilian ports and airports, unload and store war materiél on US-controlled facilities, and offloads foreign troops who enjoy protection under the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement."

The 1987 Constitution forbids the presence of nuclear weapons in Philippine territory. The US has a policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence or locations of its nuclear weapons.

President Duterte issues a message to the Chinese-Filipino community on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

"The friendship and cooperation forged between the Philippines and China have not only led to greater prosperity and economic growth for both our nations, but also gave rise to a unique culture that is nurtured by harmony amidst diversity."