China hopes ties with Philippines back on normal

Hanoi (VNA) – Chinese Pr​emier Li Kegiang has expressed his hope that China and the Philippines will work to bring bilateral ties back to a normal track.

Li made the statement during his talks with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on the sidelines of the East Asia Submit (EAS) in the Lao capital city of Vientiane on September 8.

For his part, Duterte expressed his wish for improving relations with China.

President Duterte took office since June 30 and supported talks with China to settle disputes in the East Sea, while affirming that any upcoming bilateral talks with China should be based on the East Sea ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, the Netherlands.

On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands, issued a ruling on the case brought by the Philippines against China’s nine-dash line claim in the East Sea, saying China’s claims to historic rights for waters within the nine-dash line are contrary to the 1982 UNCLOS. 

The Hague Tribunal also found no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the nine-dash line.

The country has no historic title over waters of the East Sea. At the same time, China has caused permanent and irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem on the Truong Sa archipelago, the court said.-VNA