China and Philippines affirm ties after South China Sea spat

Pompeo says US will support countries whose claims have been violated

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. In the background is the U.S. Navy's USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier transiting the San Bernardino Strait, crossing from the Philippine Sea into the South China Sea. (Nikkei collage/source photos by Reuters and U.S. Navy)

CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writer

July 15, 2020 20:01 JST

Updated on July 16, 2020 05:10 JST

MANILA -- China and the Philippines have moved to ease tensions following their latest verbal spat over a 2016 arbitration ruling that rejected Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea.