This article documents a list of international presidential trips made by Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines. During his presidency, which began with his inauguration on June 30, 2016 and ended on June 30, 2022, Rodrigo Duterte made 21 international trips to 20 countries internationally (with the exception of technical stopovers).
According to the Official Gazette, international trips made by the president of the Philippines are an opportunity to "foster and maintain" relations with other governments and to meet other heads of state and/or government. The Department of Foreign Affairs classifies these trips as either a state visit, an official visit, or a working visit.
Countries The number of visits per country where he travelled are:
One visit to Bahrain, India, Israel, Jordan, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates Two visits to Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, and Vietnam Three visits to Singapore Four visits to Thailand and Japan Five visits to China (Hong Kong)
2016
In his first year in office, President Duterte made seven international trips to eleven different countries. The following were the international trips made by him as president in 2016:
Laos and Indonesia (September 5–9)
Duterte's first international trip as president was in Vientiane, Laos. He attended the 28th and 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits and the Eleventh East Asia Summit. On September 5, after arriving in Vientiane, Duterte met with the Filipino community in Laos. In his remarks, he assured them of his administration's pursuit of a "clean government" that would address crime and corruption, and explained their campaign against illegal drugs. On the sidelines of the summits, Duterte held separate bilateral meetings with six heads of government: Shinzō Abe of Japan, John Key of New Zealand, Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Nguyễn Xuân Phúc of Vietnam, and Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos. Duterte also paid a courtesy call on Laotian president Bounnhang Vorachith at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane.
President Duterte initially planned to meet with United States President Barack Obama during the sidelines of the summit; however, Duterte's remarks at Davao Airport before departing for Laos criticized Obama and the U.S. for planning to discuss the drug war and the human rights situation in the Philippines, prompting the White House to cancel the meeting instead. When asked about the cancellation of the meeting, Obama's deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, said: "Having a meeting where all we were gonna discuss was a series of comments, frankly did not strike us as the most constructive way to approach a bilateral meeting." Duterte and Obama later met informally before attending a gala dinner. On September 7, Duterte skipped the ASEAN–United Nations Summit in order to meet with President Vorachith, and was replaced by Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. to represent the Philippines in the summit. The following day, Duterte also skipped the ASEAN–India and the ASEAN–United States summits, citing a migraine, and was replaced by Yasay again in both meetings. Duterte later admitted to intentionally skipping the said meetings, saying that it was "a matter of principle" for him.
Duterte, however, attended the closing ceremony of the ASEAN Summits to formally accept the Philippines' chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017, the 50th anniversary of the regional bloc. In his acceptance speech, Duterte said:
Following his attendance at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Vientiane, President Duterte travelled to Jakarta, Indonesia for his first state visit as president, arriving on the evening of September 8. He began his trip on September 9 when he met with the Filipino community in Indonesia and addressed them on his campaign against illegal drugs and crime that would assure safety in the Philippines in "maybe two years". Duterte also laid a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery and visited the Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta with Indonesian president Joko Widodo on a blusukan (impromptu visit), Widodo's preferred method of allowing his visitors to interact with the locals. The two presidents began their formal meeting at the Merdeka Palace later that afternoon, where Duterte was first given arrival honors.
President Duterte and Indonesian president Widodo discussed the threat of the Abu Sayyaf, following the kidnappings of Filipino, Indonesian and Malaysian sailors earlier in the year where ten Indonesians are currently under captive by the militant group; these discussions also included maritime security in the Sulu Sea on the threat of piracy, to which the two presidents signed an agreement allowing Indonesian, Malaysian, and Philippine coast guards to jointly patrol the sea and arrest pirates that would pose threats to their respective territorial waters. With regards to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea to which Indonesia and the Philippines are claimants of, Duterte and Widodo both called for the respect for the rule of law in the disputed territories. The issue of around 700 Indonesian pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj using forged Philippine passports was discussed by the two presidents; Widodo thanked the Philippine government for their cooperation in resolving the issue. Duterte and Widodo also vowed for closer economic cooperation and vowed to combat illegal drug trade and terrorism.
Antara and The Jakarta Post initially reported that Duterte informed Widodo that he is allowing for the execution of convicted Filipino drug mule Mary Jane Veloso, who was granted a last-minute temporary reprieve in April 2015; however, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella and Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. clarified that Duterte only stated his willingness to respect Indonesian Criminal Procedure and accept any decision made by the Indonesian government regarding her case.
Widodo hosted a state dinner for Duterte at the palace that evening. Duterte later departed Jakarta for his hometown, Davao City, arriving there on the early hours of September 10.
Vietnam (September 28–29)
President Duterte travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam for a two-day official visit that coincides with the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Vietnam. On September 28, he met with the Filipino community in Vietnam, who supported his campaign against illegal drugs, at Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake. On September 29, Duterte laid a wreath at the Vietnam War Memorial and met with Vietnamese president Trần Đại Quang at the Presidential Palace, where he was accorded honors and an official welcome.
Being claimants of disputed territories in the South China Sea, Duterte and Quang reaffirmed their commitment to adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in maintaining peace and stability and observing freedom of navigation and the rule of law as their countries work towards a peaceful resolution with other claimants. Vietnam supported the Philippines' arbitration case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the territorial disputes, which the Philippines won in July. To improve trade relations between the two countries, Duterte invited Vietnamese businesses to invest in the Philippines and to consider importing more Philippine products into Vietnam. During their meeting, the Philippine and Vietnamese governments agreed to a six-year action plan focused on combating transnational crime and illegal drug trade, in which the two governments are committed to intensifying defense and law enforcement cooperation by sharing expertise, experience, and intelligence information.
Duterte also met with Vietnamese prime minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng. A state dinner was held in honor of Duterte at the Vietnam National Convention Center. Duterte departed Hanoi for Davao City on the evening of September 29.
Brunei and China (October 16–21)
President Duterte paid a state visit to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei on October 16–18 to meet with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and the Overseas Filipinos there. Duterte initially planned to visit Brunei in September as his first international trip as president, but was prompted to postpone it due to the Davao City bombing. The Sultan welcomed Duterte at the Nurul Iman Palace, where they discussed the strengthening of Brunei–Philippines relations and BIMP-EAGA through trade and investment. The two leaders also discussed Brunei's cooperation and support for the Bangsamoro peace process, as well as the strengthening of Halal product certification in the Philippines to improve the country's agribusiness and tourism.
On October 18–21, President Duterte travelled to Beijing, China on a state visit to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping and Chinese premier Li Keqiang to discuss ways on improving ties and cooperation amid regional issues, specifically the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The two governments reiterated their agreement to properly resolve the disputes through bilateral discussion. Around 400 Filipino business executives joined Duterte in his delegation to discuss deals with Chinese business executives and government officials in the sectors of agribusiness, construction, energy, manufacturing, rail transport, and tourism. Duterte spoke at the Philippines–China Trade and Investment Forum, where he announced a "separation" from the United States in front of the Filipino and Chinese businessmen as well Chinese officials which he cited that the U.S. had lost "militarily, socially, and economically" and emphasizes a realignment of the Philippines to move closer to China. The Filipino press reported Duterte saying, "I have separated from them so I will be dependent on you for a long time but don't worry we will also help." The U.S. Department of State reacted to Duterte's rhetoric citing that it is causing confusion and consternation but reiterated the strong Philippines–United States relations. Duterte later departed Beijing for Davao City on the evening of October 22 with investments and loans worth of $24 billion.
Japan (October 25–27) On the evening of October 25, 2016, President Duterte arrived at Haneda Airport for a three-day official visit to Tokyo to discuss "economic and defense concerns" with the Japanese government and business executives. Duterte's trip to Japan follows his trip to Beijing, where he announced a military and economic "separation" from the United States, which caused confusion within U.S., Filipino, and Japanese officials. During a speech addressing Filipino and Japanese businessmen at the Palace Hotel, Tokyo, Duterte assured them that his visit to Beijing focused on economic relations and had no intentions of forging a military alliance with China. He also expressed confidence that more Japanese businesses will continue to invest in the Philippines as the Philippine government continues to implement policies to ensure macroeconomic stability and improve the country's "ease of doing business", emphasizing the importance of their economic relations as a priority for the Philippines.