China willing to enhance strategic communication, deepen cooperation with Singapore: spokeswoman

China stands ready to work with Singapore to enhance strategic communication and deepen cooperation in various sectors in an effort to promote regional prosperity and development, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

At the invitation of Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will visit Singapore from Sunday to Monday.

During the two-day visit, Ding and his Singaporean counterpart will also co-chair the 20th meeting of the China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the 25th meeting of China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council (JSC), the 16th meeting of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City JSC and the eighth meeting of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity JSC.

"China and Singapore are friendly neighbors and important cooperative partners. Last year, the two countries jointly elevated bilateral relations to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership. The China-Singapore bilateral cooperation mechanism meetings are the highest-level mechanism platform for coordinating cooperation between the two countries, and have played an important role in deepening bilateral cooperation and boosting the development of China- Singapore ties," said Mao.

"During his visit to Singapore, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang will have in-depth exchanges with Singaporean leaders on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, and co-chair the China-Singapore bilateral cooperation mechanism meetings with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. Taking Ding's visit and mechanism meetings as an opportunity, China is looking forward to working with Singapore to strengthen strategic communication and deepen and expand cooperation in various fields between the two countries so as to bring more benefits to the people of the two countries and and promote regional prosperity and development," said the spokeswoman.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a statement to protest Manila's Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act that bolster its maritime claims in the South China Sea.

The Maritime Zones law illegally includes most of China's Huangyan Island and Nansha Islands and related maritime areas in the Philippines' maritime zones, which seriously infringes on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, the statement said.

The statement pointed out that China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this act, and that its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea will not be affected by the new Philippine law.