Chinese Vice Premier is arriving in Manila for a 4-day visit

MANILA–The Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang is arriving Thursday for a four-day visit in the country to bolster economic ties between Manila and Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Relations between China and the Philippines have vastly improved under Duterte, who has sought Chinese trade and economic aid while shelving long-running territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Wang is the highest Chinese official to visit the country since President Rodrigo Duterte visited China last year.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wang’s first assignment is to make a courtesy call to President Rodrigo Duterte

The following day, he is scheduled to hold talks with the country’s economic managers in Davao City the following day.

While in Manila, Wang will attend the opening ceremony of Association of South East Asian Nations-China (ASEAN-China) Tourism Cooperation Year and deliver a speech to a China-Philippines economic and trade forum on March 18.