BEIJING - China said on Wednesday (Feb 22) it will hold a series of meetings in Beijing with Singapore next Monday, adding that it highly valued ties with Singapore and was ready to further strengthen mutual trust and cooperation.

Details of the meetings were announced at a daily press briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang .

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was invited by his Chinese counterpart Zhang Gaoli, will visit China from Sunday to March 1, said Mr Geng.

Mr Teo and Mr Zhang will co-chair the 13th meeting of China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, a high-level institutional mechanism established in 2003 to oversee the entire range of bilateral cooperation,

They will discuss cooperation projects and map out the future of bilateral relations.

Mr Geng said the duo will also preside over the 18th China-Singapore Joint Steering Council Meeting for the Suzhou Industrial Park, the ninth China-Singapore Joint Steering Council Meeting for the Tianjin Eco-city, and the first China-Singapore Joint Steering Council Meeting for the Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity in Chongqing.

Mr Geng hailed Singapore as an important member of Asean, adding that China highly valued relations with Singapore, and was ready to further strengthen their mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation.