Donald Trump invited to Philippines after 'very engaging' phone call with Rodrigo Duterte

US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with the man often referred to as his Philippines counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte, who was elected president of the Philippines in May this year, reportedly enjoyed a "very engaging" phone call with Trump, despite his previous fiery rhetoric about the US.

A statement from Trump's transition team said: "President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of the Philippines offered his congratulatory wishes to President-elect Trump.

"In their conversation, they noted the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, and agreed that the two governments would continue to work together closely on matters of shared interest and concern."

Duterte, who rivals Trump in his ability to make controversial statements, has also been invited to the White House, one of his aides told Reuters.

And the president-elect is also reported to have been invited to the Philippines next year, during the meeting of the Association for South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The phone call indicates a potentially warmer relationship between Trump and Duterte than the Philippines president had with Barack Obama, with whom he clashed over the country's war on drugs.

"Who does he think he is?" Duterte said of Obama.

"I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people. Son of a b***h, I will swear at you."

As well as Duterte, Trump also spoke with several other world leaders on 2 December, including President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.