Manila // Chinese vessels have left the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a Philippine official said on Saturday, less than a week after president Rodrigo Duterte visited Beijing pledging closer ties.
Mr Duterte used the trip to vaunt his move away from traditional ally the United States in favour of Beijing – which was previously at loggerheads with Manila over the maritime dispute.
China took control of the Scarborough Shoal, 230 kilometres from the main Philippine island of Luzon, in 2012, driving Filipino fishermen away from the rich fishing ground.
In a case brought by former president Benigno Aquino, an international tribunal this year ruled in favour of the Philippines against Beijing’s extensive maritime claims in the area.
But Mr Duterte has made a point of not flaunting the ruling and China’s president Xi Jinping told the Philippine leader during his visit that there was no reason for hostility and difficult topics of discussion “could be shelved temporarily”.
“There is no sign of Chinese coastguard vessels in the area. While we do not have any official explanation for this, it sends a positive signal regarding relations,” Mr Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
“This is a welcome development especially for Filipino fisherfolk.”
Mr Duterte had hinted at the possibility of a Chinese withdrawal upon his return from Beijing last week, saying: “We’ll just wait for a few more days. We might be able to return to Scarborough Shoal.”
On Friday, defence minister Delfin Lorenzana said: “If the Chinese ships have left then it means our fishermen can resume fishing in the area.”
However the foreign affairs department said they had yet to verify that Chinese vessels had left the shoal.
A report by television network GMA7 said fishermen from the northern province of Pangasinan had returned to shore on Saturday with “a huge load of big species of fish” caught at Scarborough Shoal.
* Agence France-Presse