President Rodrigo Duterte will maintain his close ties with Beijing despite tensions in the South China Sea as he courts the Asian power for economic largesse, a Fitch unit said Friday.

While the United States deems Beijing as a threat to the region, Washington sees an opportunity to strengthen ties with its Southeast Asian partners and allies.

Bringing up the 2016 arbitral court ruling on the South China Sea before the United Nations General Assembly would be a “futile exercise,” as the international body has no power to enforce it, Malacañang said yesterday.

Echoing Malacañang's stance, the country's top diplomat thumbed down the idea of raising the arbitral ruling at the UN.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly next week will be an excellent opportunity for the country to seek the help of the international community in compelling China to comply with the 2016 ruling of an arbitral court on the South China Sea issue, former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario said.