China and the Philippines have agreed to resume a dialogue on their dispute over the South China Sea, a senior Chinese diplomat said Thursday following talks between the countries' leaders.
The move appeared to be a diplomatic victory for Beijing several months after an international arbitration tribunal invalidated China's expansive territorial claims over the resource-rich waters in a case put forward by the Philippines.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing as part of a charm offensive aimed at seeking trade and support from the Asian giant by setting aside the thorny territorial dispute.
