Trump Invites Philippine President Duterte to Visit US in 2017

US President-elect Donald Trump extended an invitation to Philippine's president Rodrigo Duterte to visit Washington, DC next year, according to local media.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President-elect Donald Trump conducted a phone conversation with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte and invited him to visit the White House, local media reported on Friday.

In the 10-minute call, Trump extended an invitation to Duterte to visit Washington, DC next year, Philippine People’s Television reported.

For his part, Duterte invited the US president-elect to attend the 2017 ASEAN Summit.

Relations between the United States and Philippines have turned tense over repeated comments by Duterte that have cast doubt on future US-Philippine ties.

In addition to insulting outgoing US President Barack Obama, Duterte recently said it was time for Manila to "say goodbye" to the United States’ long use of Philippine land for military bases.

Moreover, on a recent visit to Beijing, Dutgerte announced his country was separating from the United States in order to realign with China.

On November 8, Duterte claimed he would cancel an order for 26,000 US-made M16 rifles, originally intended to arm the country’s national police, in order to look for a cheaper source.

The following day, Duterte congratulated Trump on the election victory and expressed hope that relations between the two nations would improve in the future.