PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who embarked on an ice-breaking trip to China yesterday, said he agrees with Beijing’s call for peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue.

    Duterte, who took office in July, expects a “soft landing” in the dispute over the issue. He will visit China for four days, his first state visit to the country.

    “I’ll be there to talk about it softly,” Duterte told China News Service in an interview released Monday. “We take away war or violence, because that is not a good option.”

    Duterte said China is his country’s only hope for development, during another interview with Xinhua News Agency released yesterday.

    He said China is a potent source of capital for much-needed infrastructure development and that the Philippines should leverage its 2 million-strong ethnic Chinese minority as a bridge to encourage Chinese investment.

    Duterte said his own grandfather was Chinese, and that “It’s only China [that] can help us.”

    He said that unlike the U.S. and other Western nations, China has offered its support for his 3-month-old government without criticism. He said he wants to reduce contacts with treaty ally the United States in favor of closer ties with China.

    The visit surprises many around the world. It comes at a time when China-Philippines ties have nosedived to a historical low because of the farcical South China Sea arbitration case brought by Duterte’s predecessor Benigno Aquino III against China. China did not recognize the case and declared it invalid.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday that “the door for dialogue is always open,” adding that Beijing had noticed that Duterte repeatedly expressed his willingness to talk.

    President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet individually with Duterte. Hua said the talks “may cover a wide spectrum” and a fruitful visit is expected.

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised Duterte for working to improve ties and for returning to “the track of dialogue and cooperation.”

    Wang said no “foreign force” can stand in the way of progress in the long-neglected relationship between China and the Philippines.

    “This reflects the wish of the Philippine people, and is in line with the Philippines’ national interest,” he said.

    Xinhua said in a commentary yesterday that Duterte’s visit will be a step toward ending years of estrangement between the countries.

    It said the visit shows the “bad blood between Beijing and Manila has finally begun to give place to good faith.”

    Duterte touched down in Brunei — the first leg of his Asia trip — Sunday evening, and will leave China on Friday to visit Japan.(Xinhua)

    (Read more on P5: Americans in Philippines jittery as Duterte rails against US)