MANILA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos will leave for Beijing on Monday to start initial talks with Chinese officials, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported on Sunday.
President Rodrigo Duterte has named Ramos as a special envoy to repair soured ties between China and the Philippines in the wake of Manila's unilateral move to bring the South China Sea dispute to an ad hoc arbitral tribunal. This will be Ramos' first trip to Beijing as the envoy.
China has dismissed a biased ruling issued on July 12 as "null and void with no binding force."
The Chinese government said it stands ready to continue to resolve relevant disputes peacefully through negotiation and consultation with the states directly concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts and in accordance with international law.
The report said Ramos' office has confirmed the planned trip. The 88-year-old former leader will be accompanied by former Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan, journalist Chito Romana and his grandson Sam Jones.
"No other details were disclosed about Ramos' trip to China," it said.
Read the full story at Xinhua