Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that he would not raise the dispute over the sovereignty of the Scarborough Shoal during his upcoming trip to China. Instead, he said that he would ask the Chinese government to allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the contested area in the South China Sea.

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Duterte has admitted that his first official state visit to Beijing is meant to de-escalate tensions between Manila and Beijing over contested territories in the South China Sea.

The Philippine leader, who is scheduled to visit China between October 19-21, said he hopes to restore ties with Beijing. The relationship between China and the Philippines turned sour under the leadership of former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

Trade alliance

Duterte's three-day visit to Beijing comes on the heels of his recent announcement that he would seek broader trade and commerce alliance with China.

"I will go to China. I will not raise yet the issue on the Scarborough Shoal. We are ok with them. Let's not discuss the issue for now. Nothing positive will come out from the talks if I raise the Scarborough Shoal concerns. We will not solve anything if we get angry," Duterte said during a press conference held at a forum in Mindanao.

Duterte added that he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to return to the Scarborough Shoal.

An international arbitration court ruled in July that no country has a legal claim over the shoal (which is known as Panatag Shoal in Manila). It is said to be the traditional fishing grounds of both Vietnamese, Philippine, and Chinese fishermen.

Bonanza

President Duterte has expressed optimism about his upcoming trip to China saying Manila is poised to receive a bonanza of financial investments.

More than two dozen Filipino businessmen will accompany Duterte during his visit and are expected to sign several economic cooperation agreements with Chinese companies.

Duterte said the Chinese government would like to help the Philippine economy given Beijing's recent decision to lift the ban on the importation of bananas and pineapples from the Philippines.

"I suspect that they really want to help us," he said.

Standoff

The Scarborough Shoal is located 124 nautical miles from Zambales province, which is well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

The shoal was seized by the Chinese Coast Guard after a two-week standoff with the Philippine Coast Guard in 2012.

Since then, Beijing has been in control of the shoal and has shooed away Filipino fishermen trying to fish in the area.

TagsScarborough Shoal, President Rodrigo Duterte, South China Sea, trade alliance, Philippines, china