A total of 100 secondary school students from the areas hit by the May 12 earthquake in China's Sichuan Province will pay a visit to the Philippines, at the invitation of the Philippine Government, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced in Beijing?on Thursday.

The students will visit the Philippines from Jan. 11 to 17.

China enjoys a traditional friendship with the Philippines, and the bilateral relations have witnessed stable development since the two sides forged diplomatic ties in 1975, said Qin.

He said the invitation fully demonstrated the friendliness extended by the government and people of the Philippines, to which China expressed appreciation and gratitude.

China believed the visit will reinforce the exchanges and friendship between people of the two countries, especially between the youth, enrich the China-Philippines friendship of cooperation, and promote the bilateral relationship, said Qin.

The 8.0-magnitude quake, occurring in China on May 12 last year, left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2009)