Hopes rise as visit by Duterte set

Philippine president's trip to China next week hailed as milestone in bilateral ties

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will make a four-day state visit to China next week, bringing along a 250-member business delegation, and a number of deals are expected to be signed.

The visit, which will be Duterte's first outside Southeast Asia since he became president in June, was announced by China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. It will also be the first state visit by a top Philippine leader in the past five years, during which time maritime disputes soured bilateral ties under Duterte's predecessor. Philippine Trade Undersecretary Nora Terrado, who told Reuters that initially only about two dozen Philippine entrepreneurs were to accompany Duterte to China, said the number had ballooned to about 250.