Hong Kong-listed casino operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment is planning to increase its stake in the Philippines as the country’s gambling industry continues to benefit from the warming relationship between Beijing and Manila.

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation chairman Andrea Domingo said Melco executives, led by casino mogul Lawrence Ho, and Entertainment Gaming Asia officials, led by Clarence Chung, met with President Rodrigo Duterte last Thursday to discuss future investments in the country.

Domingo recalled Ho and Duterte discussing Melco’s new luxury brand NÜWA, which is set to replace the Crown Towers brand at City of Dreams Manila and City of Dreams Macau on Jan. 16, according to Domingo.

“Lawrence Ho and Clarence Chung (of Entertainment Gaming Asia) merely paid a courtesy call and informed President Duterte of their willingness to increase their investments here,” Domingo told CalvinAyre.com in a statement.