Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to send former president Fidel Ramos to start diplomatic talks with China over territorial dispute. (Photo : Getty Images/Jes Aznar)
Reports say that China and the Philippines are expected to engage in bilateral talks about the South China Sea maritime disputes following the release of the international ruling on an arbitration case covering the matter.
According to the South China Morning Post, Beijing and Manila are poised to talk it out with the new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressing his intent to send ex-President Fidel Ramos to China to discuss peaceful resolutions regarding the issue.
Last week, Duterte expressed his request for Ramos to act as the country's representative in bilateral talks with China regarding the South China Sea.
"War is not an option. So what's the other side? Peaceful talks. I cannot give you the wherewithal now. I want to consult many people including President Ramos," Duterte said as quoted by the GMA News Network.
According to Duterte, he does not want to risk having the South China Sea closed to traders and shippers because it would cause a problem for the country's economy.
Duterte chose Ramos to act as a liaison for the country because he "maintained good relations with Chinese leaders over the years even after his term ended in 1998," GMA said.
While Ramos has not accepted nor rejected the Philippine President's request, he appears to be reluctant to go, saying: "This is not to show disrespect to the President of the Philippines but you have to consider my increasing age."
Ramos further added that he had "bigger commitments in terms of peace in the world and sustainable development."
The Asia Times believes that Duterte's idea to send Ramos to China is a "sensible move" considering that he had the necessary negotiation skills that brought back peace to Mindanao after the two-decade-long war between the government and militant members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Meanwhile, China expressed their openness to settling the dispute once and for all via peaceful talks.
"The door to settling the issue through dialogue and negotiation has never been closed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang stated.
