China's Xi says he hopes Duterte visit can "fully improve" Philippine ties

By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that he hoped Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's "milestone" visit to China could help "fully improve" ties, which have suffered from to a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Duterte arrived in Beijing on Tuesday with at least 200 top business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance, as relations with longtime ally the United States deteriorate. On Wednesday, to the cheers of