U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on Aug. 7. The meeting marked the highest-level interaction to date between a member of President Donald Trump’s administration and Duterte, accused by human rights groups of flagrant abuses in his war against illegal drugs.
Rodrigo Duterte, the brutish leader of the Philippines, said he was Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's "humble friend in Southeast Asia" after the two leaders met Monday, NBC News reported.
The pair discussed the Philippines' fight against ISIS-linked militants on one of the country's islands, for which the U.S. is supplying resources like training, drones and military aircraft.
Although Duterte has faced intense criticism for his deadly human rights record, Tillerson said there was "no big contradiction" in providing the Philippines with military assistance.
Duterte's comments mark a stark change from his previous interactions with the U.S., including one instance in which he told former President Barack Obama to "go to hell."
