And on global economic status, about half of Filipinos (49 percent) say that the US is still the leading economic power, but that is down from 66 percent who said so in 2015But Filipinos also share positive views of China and its leader, President Xi JinpingSince becoming Philippines president in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has refused to be used by the US to advance its strategyHowever, the Pew survey finds that Duterte and his policies are widely popular at home despite concerns expressed by some governments, in particular the US, over Duterte's clashes with drug cartels and alleged human rights violationsIn 2014, the Philippines was still led by Aquino IIIThis represents a dramatic shift since that question was last asked in 2015It clearly suggests that one's gain is another's lossThe Philippines under Duterte has tried to develop an independent foreign policy rather than being a US puppet most of the timeThe US government, lawmakers and pundits have generally expressed negative views of Duterte since he took office last JuneAnd overall, the perception gap between the US and China in the Philippines is narrowingAccording to the survey, 78 percent in the Philippines have a positive view of the US as of this spring, down from 92 percent who expressed positive sentiments in 2015But the Philippines, and indeed all the countries in the region, should be encouraged to have good relations with both China and the US, a real win-win situation for not just the three countries involved, but for the region and the worldAt the same time, 78 percent believe the current economic situation is good, and 57 percent are satisfied with the direction of the country, a 21 percentage-point increase from 2014, the last time this question was asked in the PhilippinesSome even believe that he would not able to serve the full six-year termA zero-sum mentality about China-US relations is reflected not only in the thinking of some US politicians, but also in a new survey conducted by the Pew Research CenterThe report finds that people in the Philippines still like the US and have confidence in its leader, President Donald TrumpThe survey released on Sept 21 bore a title saying people in the Philippines still favor the United States over China, but that the gap is narrowingA quarter now name China as the world's leading economy, up from 14 percent the last time the Philippines was surveyedSuch an independent policy is dealing a heavy blow to those who still view the relationship between the three countries as zero-sumAnd despite the Philippines being the most pro-Trump nation in Pew's spring 37-country survey, confidence in Trump now is lower than it was in then-President Barack Obama in 2015The US was believed to be fully behind the scenes when the Philippines, under President Benigno Aquino III, filed the arbitration suit in 2013 against China in a tribunal in The Hague, a case in which China had refused to participateHis tough rhetoric on the US and softened rhetoric on China, especially compared with his predecessor Aquino III, has worried many in the USThe Obama administration had done everything it could to internationalize the South China Sea issue and had used the Philippines, a US ally, to advance the American strategyThe negotiations may take days or weeks before a deal is struck between the future governing partnersWinston Peters, the party chief of the New Zealand First Party, however, refused to say which party he would side withAUCKLAND - New Zealand's parliamentary elections on Saturday yield no clear winner as tally ended in the wee hours of Sunday, leaving the third largest party with 7The New Zealand First Party has garnered nine seats, making it the indispensable coalition partner for both the National Party and the Labor Party to form the governmentThe ruling National Party has secured 46 percent of the party votes, which transfer to 58 seats in the 120 member Congress in an Mixed-Member Proportional voting system, with the opposition Labor Party lagging behind at 358 percent votes or seven seats in the congress would just make enough seats to form a government if they can successfully get the New Zealand First Party on boardAccording to the Ministry of Education of the Inner Mongolia, the exhibition attracted 39 universities from 16 countries, including Mongolia, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea