section_path: Presidency (2016–2022)/Foreign policy
section_name: Foreign policy
paragraph_text: Foreign policy
  
  The Duterte administration has vowed to pursue what it describes as an "independent foreign policy" that would reject any meddling by foreign governments, reiterating Article II, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution which states: "The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination." In September 2016, Duterte said: "We will observe and must insist on the time-honored principle of sovereignty, sovereign equality, non-interference and the commitment of peaceful settlements of dispute that will serve our people and protect the interests of our country."
  
  Duterte made his first international trips as president to Vientiane, Laos and Jakarta, Indonesia on September 5–9, 2016.
  
  Duterte pursued improved relations with China and Russia, and lessened the country's dependence on its traditional ally – the United States. He has adopted a cautious, pragmatic, and conciliatory stance towards China compared to his predecessor, and has set aside the previous administration's confrontational policy of asserting the Philippines' claims over the South China Sea and its islands.
  
  Militant groups decry the ties between President Duterte and China over the Chinese occupation of contested waters and the reported harassment of the fishermen amidst the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Also, while the United States is one of the countries critical to Philippine drug war campaign, most of the militant groups – particularly left-wing groups – also criticize Philippine-US relations due to the United States' " imperialism " and neoliberal policies.