Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday he expects talks with China on their South China Sea dispute within a year and he would not raise an international ruling rejecting China's claims there when he attends a regional summit next month.
An arbitration court in the Hague infuriated China in July when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with various actions there.
Raising the issue at a summit in Laos of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, together with its "dialogue partners" including China, the United States and Japan, would inevitably compound China's anger.
Duterte, speaking to reporters at the presidential palace in Manila, said it was "better to continually engage China in a diplomatic dialogue rather than anger officials there". Asked about a date for bilateral talks, he said: "Within the year."
