Foreign policy

Philippines’ Duterte Wants Foreign Troops Out by 2022

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday that he would remove U.S. troops from the country by the end of his term in 2022 and not replace them with any other foreign troops, as he moves closer to China and Russia while crafting a more independent foreign policy.

It was the first time Mr. Duterte had set a date for the removal of U.S. troops, which he called for in September. He also said he wanted to stop the joint war games the Philippine military holds with its allies, but that the exercises scheduled next year with the U.S. could go ahead in a truncated format that focuses on humanitarian, antiterror and antidrug operations. Those, however, would be the last, he said.