China’s President Xi Jinping and Philippines counterpart Rodrigo Duterte agreed Thursday to "properly" handle differences, and achieve greater progress and improvement in bilateral ties.
The agreement comes during a state visit to China by Duterte, where he is seeking to expand trade and investments, financing for infrastructure projects, and also repair relations strained under his predecessor over territorial conflicts in the South China Sea.
On Thursday, state news agency Xinhua quoted China's President Xi Jinping as calling the countries "neighbors across the sea".
Xi added that although relations had gone through "twists and turns", the foundation of their friendship and willingness to cooperate remain unchanged.
In July, the Philippines secured a ruling at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague which specified that no country held sovereign rights over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea -- claimed by Manila as Panatag Beijing and by Beijing as Huangyan Island.
Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, brought the arbitration case over an area Manila calls the West Philippines Sea.