Opportunity taken to make fresh start on firmer footing

The whiff of sour grapes notwithstanding, everyone who is worried the China-Philippine showdown in and over the South China Sea may trigger a period of turbulence across the Asia-Pacific can now breathe a sigh of relief.

Particularly those who figured Beijing would throw its weight around and bully smaller, weaker neighbors. And those volunteering to arm Manila so it would not get bullied by an "assertive" Beijing.

During a meeting in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, which Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte praised as "historic" and a "milestone", the two leaders agreed to bury the hatchet and pursue the "all-round improvement" of bilateral ties.