United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim yesterday paid a courtesy call to newly appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin and discussed with him “shared priorities” of Manila and Washington.

“Delighted to meet with new Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teddy Locsin today. Great discussion on our shared priorities. I very much look forward to working closely together,” Kim said on his Twitter account.

Kim’s visit came on the heels of the phone conversation between Locsin and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo who called the new Department of Foreign Affairs chief last 26 October to congratulate him on his appointment and reaffirm the “long-standing US-Philippines alliance.”

For his part, Locsin said Kim’s insights on the Korean Peninsula have been useful for him since the ambassador shared these with him in 2016.

“I’ve been running on his insights on the Korean peninsula since he shared them with me two years ago,” Locsin tweeted on Thursday.

Kim’s courtesy call also comes days after China’s top diplomat, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, visited Davao City and held a bilateral meeting with Locsin.

During Wang’s trip, he and Locsin witnessed the signing of three agreements between the Philippines and China covering humanitarian assistance, law enforcement and infrastructure.

In a historic departure from the practice of his predecessors, President Rodrigo Duterte reconfigured the country’s US-centric foreign policy by cultivating warmer relations with China and Russia.

With Mario J. Mallari