(CNN) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has clarified his comments that seemed to call for a split from the United States , saying he was advocating a "separation of foreign policy" rather than "a severance of ties."

Addressing a press conference in Davao City after his return from a state visit to China, Duterte said:

"It is not severance of ties. You say severance of ties, you cut the diplomatic relations. I cannot do that.

"Why? It is in the best interest of my country that we maintain that relationship. Why? Because there are many Filipinos in the United States. Well, Americans of Filipino ancestry.

"Why? Because the people of my country [are] not ready to accept. I said separation -- what I was really saying was separation of a foreign policy. "

There was widespread shock after Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States, suggesting he would cut both economic and military ties in favor of moving closer to China.

"America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow," Duterte told business leaders Thursday in Beijing.

"And maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

In a statement Friday, Duterte's office said the Philippines had no intention to renege on treaties or agreements with allies.

The President's comments were "an assertion that we are an independent and sovereign nation, now finding common ground with friendly neighbors with shared aspirations in the spirit of mutual respect, support and cooperation," the statement said.

Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN that the Philippines "would not stop trade and investment with the US."

"(Duterte) has decided to strengthen further and rekindle the ties with China and the ASEAN region," Lopez said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

'Troubling rhetoric'

White House spokesman Josh Earnest described Duterte's comments as "personal," "offensive" and "confusing."

The US Embassy in Manila blasted Duterte's comments as "creating unnecessary uncertainty."

"We've seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently, which is inexplicably at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments," embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said in a statement.

The United States will honor its alliance commitments and treaty obligations, and expects the Philippines to do the same, she added.

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The Philippines is a key US ally in the region, and Washington supported former President Benigno Aquino's efforts to gain international recognition for Manila's claims to South China Sea territory illegally occupied by China.

Beijing rejected a recent international court ruling in Manila's favor and has long called for bilateral negotiations in which other parties do not participate.

In a statement, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Duterte's willingness to address "territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means ... through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned."

Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. Speaking at a business forum in Manila in December 2016, Duterte admitted killing suspected criminals during his time as mayor of Davao City. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. The day after Trump won the US presidential election in November 2016, Duterte said he and Trump share some traits. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. After reports emerged of a potentially blocked arms sale, Duterte told CNN Philippines in November 2016 that he would turn to Russia for weapons. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. During a state visit to China in October 2016, Duterte announced his economic and military 'separation' from the US. Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. In October 2016 Duterte expressed growing hostility with the US president. Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. After US president Barack Obama said he would raise extrajudicial killings in a meeting with Duterte, the Philippines President responded angrily on September 5, first in English then in Tagalog. As a result, Obama canceled the meeting. Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. As he addressed troops at the country's Armed Forces Central Command Headquarters on August 5, Duterte recounted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to the country, saying in Tagalog that he was feuding with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. The Philippines president-elect effectively said he supported vigilantism against drug dealers and criminals in a nationally televised speech in June 2016. Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. Foreign diplomats weighing in on Rodrigo Duterte's controversial remarks did not sit well with the then-mayor. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. Duterte apologized to the Pope after cursing him for the traffic he caused during a 2015 Papal visit to the Philippines. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. In September 2016, Duterte likened himself to the Nazi leader and announced that he wants to kill millions of drug addicts. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. Speaking at a press conference to unveil his new cabinet on May 31 2016, Rodrigo Duterte said journalists killed on the job in the Philippines were often corrupt. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. During the third and last presidential debate, Duterte had said that he would plant a Philippine flag in disputed territories should China refuse to recognize a favorable ruling for the Philippines. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. Duterte made international headlines in April 2016 with his inflammatory comments on the 1989 rape and murder of an Australian missionary that took place in Davao City. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. He also lashed out at the womens' group that filed a complaint against him before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. At a CNN Philippines Townhall event in February 2016, Duterte, admitted that he had three girlfriends and a common-law wife. His marriage to Elizabeth Zimmerman was annulled due to his womanizing, but he denied this meant he objectified women. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: Rodrigo Duterte has said some outrageous things. Although he later denied the accusations, the former Davao City mayor admitted his links to the alleged Davao death squad in a May 2015 broadcast of his local television talk show. Hide Caption 17 of 17

'Maybe he's only joking'

Trade in goods between the two countries topped $18 billion last year , and American companies have invested more than $4.7 billion in the Philippines. The United States also accounts for roughly a third of the $17.6 billion that Filipinos working overseas have sent home this year.

In Manila, many greeted the news with shock.

"Maybe he's only joking," saleswoman Marisa Laguitan, 59, said.

"America is very friendly and a very long (term) friend of Filipinos."

Ian Duly, 34, said he had nothing against the United States, but "it's about time for a change."

"I believe in Duterte," he added. "It's about standing up for your people."

Speaking to CNN Philippines, one call center worker worried about the effect the move could have on her industry.

"What if BPOs disappear in the Philippines? We won't have a job," she said, referring to business process outsourcing.

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Duterte 'delusional'

Lopez, the trade minister, dismissed concerns that Duterte's shift would endanger the country's economy.

"What we are saying is that there will be less dependence just on one side of the world," he told CNN.

"As you know, we have been strong partners with the US so it's basically just trying to balance the partnership and also strengthening this side of the world, specifically with China."

He said Duterte was pursuing an independent and "more sovereign" foreign policy, adding that the US-Philippines relationship was strong and "cannot just be eliminated."

Duterte's opponents at home were damning, however.

"(He) has a really inflated, if not delusional, view of himself as a strongman at the level of China and Russia's leadership," Sen. Leila de Lima, a longtime Duterte, said in a statement.

Former Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario warned of cozying up to a country such as China that doesn't share "our core values of democracy (and) respect for human rights."

"Casting aside a longtime reliable ally to hastily embrace an aggressive neighbor that vehemently rejects international law is both unwise and incomprehensible," he said in a statement.