Chinese President Xi Jinping promised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that Beijing would not build structures on a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Thursday.
MANILA: Chinese President Xi Jinping promised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that Beijing would not build structures on a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Thursday (Feb 23).
Frosty ties between the two countries have improved as Duterte shifts away from traditional ally the United States and closer to Beijing, though the news came a day after China’s commerce minister postponed an official trip to the Philippines.
Yasay said Xi’s pledge was made during a meeting with Duterte in Beijing in October, after Manila raised the issue, in response to US intelligence reports suggesting China was sending dredging ships to the area.
“President Xi has promised President Duterte they will not reclaim and build structures on Scarborough Shoal,” Yasay told reporters.
He was responding to a query about a Reuters report that China is close to completing structures on its man-made islets that appear designed to house long-range surface-to-air missiles.
China also allowed Filipino fishermen to return to Scarborough Shoal after Duterte’s state visit, for the first time since Beijing seized control of the area in 2012 and denied fishermen access to its rich fishing grounds.
