Xi says hopes China, Philippines can return to past understanding on sea dispute

(Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said he hopes China and the Philippines can return to a past understanding on issues related to the South China Sea, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

China hopes the Philippines can "constructively deal with" the issue, the report added.

Xi made the remarks during talks with Philippine President Benigno Aquino during a summit of Asia-Pacific nations. Territorial disputes in the potentially oil-rich South China Sea have caused friction between China and some of its Asian neighbors. © Provided by BEIJING l reuters.com

(Reporting by Megha Rajagopalan; editing by Nick Macfie)