Vice foreign minister to visit the Philippines

Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying will pay a visit to the Philippines from Oct. 18 to 20 to exchange views on bilateral relations with her Philippine counterpart, a foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Spokesman Hong Lei said China attaches great importance to the two countries' relations and is willing to work with the Philippine side to boost the relations.

"We hope the Philippines will go in the same direction as China and make substantial efforts to make progress in bilateral relations," Hong said at a regular press briefing.

Senior officials from the Philippines and China will hold a new round of talks in Manila on Thursday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.