Ex-Philippine leader to 'rekindle ties with China'

Manila

FORMER Philippine president Fidel Ramos on Monday departed on a five-day trip to Hong Kong to meet "old friends" and rekindle ties with China soured by a maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

In July, an arbitration court in The Hague ruled that China had no historic title over the busy waterway and had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions there, infuriating Beijing, which dismissed the case. "This may pave the way for future diplomatic talks," said Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte, adding that Mr Ramos would "meet old friends and possibly play a few rounds of golf" in the Chinese territory.