The incoming leader of the Philippines has said he will welcome bids by China to build two new railway lines, Philippine media reported Monday.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte told a news conference he will seek offers for a big-ticket railway project linking Manila with three points in Luzon and for a network on Mindanao, The Manila Bulletin reported online.

Duterte said the projects should be built with the aid of another country rather than with private-sector involvement.

"There are those who want to help," he said.

Duterte added that if China is picked, he will not abandon his nation's position on disputed territory.

"Just because you're building me the railway does not mean to say that I am abandoning the Scarborough Shoal," he said, a reference to an area of the South China Sea claimed by Manila but effectively controlled by Beijing.

Last month, Duterte suggested he would shelve disputes with China in exchange for railway construction.

"Build me a train . . . (and) for the six years that I'll be president, I'll shut up," ABS-CBN News quoted him saying on April 7.

Duterte has long argued that a lack of infrastructure is a barrier to development. He fought a successful election campaign that tapped dissatisfaction with crime, corruption and poverty.

Meanwhile, The Manila Bulletin quoted Duterte as warning that his nation may need to contend with a looming financial crisis in Asia and that this may affect its ability to secure a railway deal.

He cited China's problems with its real estate market and Japan's concerns over the strong yen.

In September, Japan lost to China in a $5 billion tender to build a high-speed railway in Indonesia. The defeat was a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who sees the sale of infrastructure to other Asian nations as a potential growth area.