Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday appealed to the Chinese ambassador to Manila to let Filipino fishermen fish in the resource-rich South China Sea and treat them as brothers and not enemies.

Highlighting his Chinese roots, President Duterte told Ambassador Zhao Jianhua that he hopes Beijing would treat Filipinos as their brothers and understand their predicament.

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"I hope the Chinese may find a place in their hearts for the Filipinos. After all... I have Chinese blood and I hope you treat us as your brothers and not enemies and take note of our situation," Duterte said in a speech at a ceremony to commemorate National Heroes' Day. China's ambassador Zhao and other foreign dignitaries were present at the ceremony.

Bilateral talks

President Duterte reiterated Manila's stance that it would push for bilateral talks with China on the South China Sea dispute and set aside the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).

The Hague-based arbitration court rejected China's "historic claims" to more than 90 percent of the disputed waters of the South China Sea under its nine-dash line.

The ruling, favoring the Philippines, said China had violated the Manila's right to explore its resources within its exclusive economic zone according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Formal talks

"I will never bring the matter [the arbitration court ruling] because it might lead only to the suspension of the talks in China and that is not good, Mr. Ambassador. So I propose that we just have a soft landing everywhere," he said.

Although Duterte vowed not to bring up the arbitration court ruling, for now. He said that eventually, he would have to discuss it with China at some point during the formal talks.

"I will not use the judgment arbitral now but I would, one day, sit in front of your representative or you and then I will lay bare my position. And I would say that I cannot get out of the four corners of this document," he said.

Duterte earlier said he expects formal talks with China to begin "within the year."

War

Although the Filipino President had said that war with China was not an option to resolve the South China Sea row, he, however, emphasized that the Philippine military is ready to defend the country in case of a Chinese invasion.

"I don't go to war. If I am not ready for war, then peace is the only way to go," he said.

Beijing suffered a major setback in its massive territorial claims in the South China Sea after an arbitration court ruled that its claims had no legal basis in international law.

China has dismissed the ruling as "illegal" and a "waste of piece of paper." President Xi Jinping said China would not accept any actions or propositions based on the ruling.

The international community has called on China to abide by the verdict of the international arbitration court. But Beijing continues to be defiant in its position.

TagsSouth China Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte, President Xi Jinping, bilateral talks, Sino-Philippines formal talks, china