The Philippines is eager to attract Chinese tourists and promote trade and economic cooperation with its giant neighbor in a bid to create jobs and improve infrastructure, said Foreign Secretary Delia Albert Sunday.

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) quoted Albert as saying that the Department of Foreign Affairs has started to "realign" its programs in order to help realize the 10-point agenda on economic and social development set by President Gloria Magapagal Arroyo.

"It will be our challenge to give life to the 10-point agenda. We have already begun the process of identifying our place in this agenda but it will take all our collective efforts to succeed," said Albert.

She said that the Philippine diplomatic posts in China have taken initiative in this direction by vowing to promote tourism and trade with China, attract investments to the Philippines and continue to protect and enhance the welfare of Filipinos working as overseas contract workers in China, including the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

The PNA said that the heads of Philippine foreign service posts in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Xiamen met last week in Manila for the issue.

Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan and Assistant Foreign Secretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Alicia Ramos, as well as officials from the defense, trade, labor and agriculture departments (ministries) attended the meeting.

Philippine Ambassador to China Willy Gaa said at the meeting that the country needs to "assess the current state of Philippine-Chinese relations, establish priorities and future areas of bilateral cooperation and align the plans and programs of the posts to the agenda of President Arroyo."

Pagdananan said that the country needs to attract Chinese tourists and that he aims to double the number of Chinese tourists by the end of this year as compared with that of last year.

Only one of every 600 tourists from China visited the Philippines last year in contrast to more than 600,000 from Japan and South Korea, he said.

The PNA quote government officials as saying that besides tourism, the meeting also noted the need to further promote Philippine products and services in China, such as electronics and semi-conductor products-devices, fresh fruits, aquatic and marine products, resource-based products, high-end jewelry, furniture, professional services, medical tourism and logistics management.

The meeting also agreed to intensify effort to attract Chinese investments to the Philippines, especially in infrastructure projects.

It also discussed ways to better resolve consular and labor issues affecting Filipinos and provide more effective service to them in China.