China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be here today on a two-day working visit, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said yesterday.

He will call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, it added. He will also meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

The visit is part of Mr Wang's six-day trip to four countries in the region that started on Friday. The others are Vietnam, Cambodia and South Korea.

Asked about the trip last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a press conference that the four nations are close neighbours and important partners for China.

He added that the visits show the emphasis Beijing attaches to enhancing friendly relations and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with the four countries.

Mr Wang Yi met Dr Balakrishnan in China in June when a special meeting of the foreign ministers of Asean and China was held, as well as here last October at Changi Airport where the Chinese minister was in transit during an official tour to four Asean countries.

Singapore and China marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations on Oct 3 last year.