by Liu Chang
BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- In recent days, Washington seems to be agonizing over the colorful rhetoric of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, while its "pivot to Asia" policy faces even more uncertainties.
The United States believes that it has some sort of natural rights to write what outgoing President Barack Obama called "the rules of the road" for the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, it wants all nations in the region to observe that same playbook.
Yet without obedient partnerships underpinned by strong economic, military and security cooperation, America's such geopolitical arrangement could go nowhere.
In recent months, Washington has been troubled by a sense of worry.
Since Duterte took office in late June, the new leader in Manila has kept flashing out signals that have perplexed the Americans, if not enraging them. Perhaps the U.S. leaders have now begun to miss the "good old days" when former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III was in power.
Now that the Philippines has vowed to send all foreign troops home, including the U.S. forces stationed in the Southeastern Asian country, many are wondering how far Manila would go to push forward its independent foreign policy.
While the Philippines seems to be pivoting away, the bleak picture for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact has also raised qualms of America's allies in the region about Washington's determination and ability to close the deal.
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