It was supposed to be a centerpiece of his mission: President Duterte had said he wanted China to stop preventing Filipinos from fishing in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal. But Duterte and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping did not discuss whether China would open Panatag to Filipino fishermen, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said yesterday, an outcome likely to disappoint the Philippines. Instead the two leaders agreed to hold bilateral talks on the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea row, Liu said. Duterte had previously said he would ask Beijing to allow Filipino fishermen to again operate in the area even as The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration had ruled the Philippines and China both have traditional fishing rights in the area.

Romero, A. (2016, October 21). No word on Panatag fishermen. Philippine Star, pp. 1, 16.