China's Wen postpones Philippines visit to January

BEIJING, Dec 11 (Reuters) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has postponed an official visit to the Philippines until January, in line with a new date for a gathering of Asian leaders originally scheduled for this week, China's Foreign Ministry said.

Wen was supposed to visit Manila on December 13-14 following the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting and an East Asia summit on the Philippine island of Cebu.

But the gatherings were hastily shelved due to concerns about the impact of Typhoon Utor, which ploughed through the central Philippines yesterday, cutting power and communication lines.

''The Chinese and Philippine sides decided through consultations to put off Premier Wen Jiabao's visit,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement on the ministry's Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn) late yesterday.

The visit would go ahead in January, the statement said, without giving specific dates. The ASEAN summit has now been set for January. 8 to 13.

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