国际英语新闻:Kerry says confident about U.S.-Philippines ties despite differences

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday expressed confidence about the future of the U.S.-Philippines relationship, which has soured following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's tirades against the U.S.

"I am confident about the future of our bilateral relationship, notwithstanding a difference here or there about one thing or another," Kerry said at the State Department as he swore in Sung Kim as the new U.S. ambassador to the Philippines.

"The United States continues to place a high value on the close ties that exist between our countries," Kerry said. "We continue to recognize our ironclad commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and security of the Philippines."

Kerry also expressed the hope to visit the Southeast Asian country before the end of his term as Secretary of State.

In recent months, Duterte repeated lashed out at the U.S., throwing the alliance between the two countries into disarray, after Washington raised concern on the reported extrajudicial killings of drug suspects amid Manila's war on illegal drugs.

The Philippine president also threatened to "break up" with Washington. He hit out at the United States, the European Union and the United Nations for using human rights to criticize his campaign to curb the illicit drug menace in the Philippines.

"I will be re-configuring my foreign policy", Duterte said in a speech before the Jewish Asssociation of the Philippines in Makati City on Oct. 4.

"Eventually I might in my time break up with America. I would rather go to Russia and to China", said Duterte.