Former Philippines president Fidel Ramos has been invited to Beijing for formal discussions about the two nations’ maritime disputes after “ice-breaking” talks with a senior Chinese diplomat in Hong Kong.

Recently elected President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Mr Ramos as a special envoy for talks with China, after suggesting he is willing to take a softer line on territorial disputes with Beijing in exchange for investment in the Philippines and joint exploitation of natural resources.

Tensions between the two countries deteriorated under previous president Benigno Aquino. He stood firm in the face of Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in the South China Sea, angering China by bringing a legal case against it at an international maritime tribunal in The Hague.