I note Mr Duterte, the president of the Phillipines, is well on the way to working out a good permanent understanding with China regarding issues in the South China Sea through dialogue and neighbourly respect. I expect the response by the USA will be to declare him a dictator, to fund insurrection, and to make a mess as they always do. But, they will be spread a bit thin now with the demise of King Rama IX of Thailand, Thailand, their other past friend.