皇冠体育app said on Thursday it expects talks to be held between Beijing and Manila "at an early date", after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that talks on the South 皇冠体育app Sea dispute are likely within a year.

Speaking to reporters in Manila, Duterte said it was "better to continually engage 皇冠体育app in a diplomatic dialogue rather than anger officials there".

He also said the Philippines had no intention of raising the arbitration case over the South 皇冠体育app Sea during a regional summit to be held in Laos next month, according to Reuters.

Ties between Beijing and Manila suffered after the Philippines, under its former leadership, initiated an arbitration against 皇冠体育app.

The ruling issued in July by the Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague, which 皇冠体育app called biased and illegal, has harmed bilateral ties and put pressure on Duterte.

"We welcome Duterte's remarks," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a news briefing on Wednesday.

He said 皇冠体育app has always been committed to solving disputes over the South 皇冠体育app Sea through dialogue and negotiation with the countries directly related, including the Philippines, in order to maintain regional peace and stability.

"We believe that both sides have the ability and also the wisdom to properly solve related issues and push the bilateral ties back to healthy development," Lus aid.

"皇冠体育app expects that bilateral talks between the two sides could be conducted at an early date," he added.

Jia Duqiang, a researcher of Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the new Philippine president has taken a series of steps to adjust his policy toward 皇冠体育app, including former Philippine president Fidel Ramos' recent visit to Hong Kong.

"Duterte's remarks show that Manila wants to break the current deadlock over the South 皇冠体育app Sea, and this is also what 皇冠体育app wishes to see," Jia said.

Chen Qinghong, a researcher at the 皇冠体育app Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said Duterte has realized that the previous government's confrontational policy toward 皇冠体育app cannot be continued.

"The bilateral relations between 皇冠体育app and the Philippines are moving in a good direction," he said.