MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte will be on a working visit to China from August 28 to September 2, his spokesman Salvador Panelo said Tuesday.
Duterte will be embarking on his fifth trip to China since assuming office in 2016 amid the government’s recent concerns on the West Philippine Sea dispute.
READ: Duterte to visit China in August for 5th time
Panelo earlier said Duterte will be raising the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea dispute in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Duterte also said he intends to discuss the delay in the finalization of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.
READ: Duterte confirms he will raise arbitral ruling in next China visit
The Philippines is the coordinator of the Asean-China dialogue partnership, where it leads negotiations in drafting a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
The South China Sea is one of the world’s busiest waterways, and a potential flashpoint in the region as several Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members — the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia— and China have overlapping territorial claims.
READ: Duterte: China delaying completion of South China Sea Code of Conduct
The President is also scheduled to inaugurate a school building named after his late mother Soledad in Fujian province.
He also bared plans of watching a game of the Philippine national basketball team in the FIBA World Cup in China. /muf
READ: Duterte to visit Fujian to inaugurate school built in honor of mother
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