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1st LD: Ramos accepts Duterte's offer to be special envoy to China: media

Xinhua, July 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos told reporters on Saturday evening in Davao that he accepted the offer of President Rodrigo Duterte to be special envoy to China, local media reported on Saturday.

Ramos made the announcement after meeting with Duterte for two hours in Davao City in southern Philippines, according to the ABS-CBN breaking news report.

The media quoted Ramos as saying that he has consulted his doctors who gave him the go-signal to perform the job.

On July 14, Duterte bared his plan to send Ramos to Beijing to help kickstart bilateral talks over strained relations between the two countries.

Tensions between China and the Philippines heightened in recent years over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In 2013, the philippine government under former President Benegno Aquino unilaterally initiated an arbitration case against China over the dispute to a court of arbitration in The Hague.

The court issued its ruling on the dispute on July 12, which China has rejected as illegal.

Malacanang presidential palace has yet to officially announce details of the meeting between Ramos and Duterte.

Ramos earlier expressed reluctance to accept the role citing health reasons and possible conflict of schedules. Endit