Two Years After Philippines’ Pivot, Duterte Still Waiting on China Dividend

Two Years After Philippines’ Pivot, Duterte Still Waiting on China Dividend
Chinese leader Xi Jinping shakes hands with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as they attend the welcome ceremony at Yanqi Lake during the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 15, 2017. Roman Pilipey/Reuters
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MANILA—Two years after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced a divorce with old ally the United States in return for bumper business ties with China, he doesn’t have much to show for it.

Duterte left Beijing in 2016 with $24 billion of Chinese loans and investment pledges for his ambitious infrastructure overhaul, a few weeks after saying the Philippines was being treated unfairly by Washington and would be better off with China.