Phillipines President Duterte says "goodbye" to US and hello to China

Recently-elected leader of the Phillipines Rodrigo Duterte has given his strongest signal yet that the country will cut its ties with the US.

Duterte met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in Beijing, and said that he hopes to instigate a new era of close relations with the Asian powerhouse.

"Even as we arrived in Beijing close to winter, this is the springtime of our relationship," Dutere told Xi at the meeting on Thursday.

The new leader has consistently made jibes towards the US since he took office in the summer, above all due to the criticism he has received for the brutal manner in which he is approaching the country's drug problems.

He referred to Barack Obama as a "son of a whore" for intervening in Filipino affairs, before later apologising for the remark.

Speaking to a crowd of Filipinos in the Chinese capital, Duterte promised to sever relations with the US.

"I will not go to America any more. We will just be insulted there. So time to say goodbye my friend," Duterte said.

The leader has had a controversial beginning to his tenure, cracking down heavily on drug users and dealers.

Xi and Duterte met to discuss relations pertaining to an ongoing dispute in the South China Sea. Duterte suggested he would be willing to overlook an international court decision to rule in favour of the Phillipines, in an attempt to foster a good relationship.