MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will likely get along with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, whose protectionist stand is expected to disturb geopolitical dynamics in Southeast Asia, an editor for The Economist magazine said Monday.

Duterte and Trump share the same nationalist brand of politics and the Philippine leader has appointed Trump’s business associate as his special envoy to Washington, said the magazine’s bureau chief in the region, Jon Fasman.

“President Duterte is actually very well-placed to deal with President Trump,” Fasman told ANC’s “Market Edge with Cathy Yang.”

Without the US vying for influence in the Pacific, its allies in Southeast Asia could be drawn to Washington’s rival, Beijing, Fasman said.

“What happens when the American rider on that seesaw suddenly jumps off? What does ASEAN confront?” he said.

“I worry that Trump’s transactional approach to geopolitics and his disdain for traditional alliances presages really rough waters ahead for ASEAN,” he added.