MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said he would meet with a deputy of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Saturday, as he sought to strengthen Asian alliances while loosening ties with the United States.

Duterte did not elaborate on the agenda of the meeting, which would take place in Davao City, his hometown in the south.

In the last two weeks, Duterte had visited China and Japan, seeking to deepen ties in the region as he pivots the country away from the US, whom he accused of unfairly treating the Philippines.

Kuala Lumpur is expected to purchase navy vessels from Beijing, in a blow to Washington’s efforts to maintain its influence in the Pacific.

The Philippines and Malaysia are embroiled in disputes with China over resource rich waters. In July, a United Nations-backed tribunal ruled in favor of a challenge filed by Manila and said that Beijing had no historic rights to the South China Sea.