Philippines’ move to keep US military pact reveals shift in South China Sea calculations

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision last week to retain, for now, a long-standing military pact with the United States reflects Manila’s shifting geopolitical calculations as Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea fuels anxieties in the region, analysts say.The experts add that economic woes also factored into the move to keep the two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) – which is central to the Philippines-US military alliance – as the Philippines grapples…