No improvement of relations with arbitration – China official

With an arbitration case over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dividing Manila and Beijing, relations between the two countries cannot be improved, a top Chinese official recently told a Philippine delegation of media and think-tanks.

“If there’s the arbitration [case], there’s no chance to improve the relations. If you continue to sue me in court, how can I treat you to lunch?” Zhang Xuyi, deputy director-general of Asia Bureau One of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, said to the group that was visiting China.