Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend an Asia-Pacific summit in the Philippines next week, officials said Monday, quashing the host's concerns he would snub the event over a territorial dispute.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Manila on Tuesday to prepare for Xi's presence at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit, both governments said.

"The Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing has officially announced this morning that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the APEC economic leaders' meeting in Manila," Philippine foreign department spokesman Charles Jose told AFP.

The visits by Wang and Xi will offer a rare opportunity for top-level talks between the Asian neighbours, which have seen diplomatic relations plummet in recent years over rival claims to parts of the South China Sea.

The Philippines has been angered over what it has branded China's "bullying" and "hypocritical" tactics, including building artificial islands and taking control of a rich fishing shoal in Filipino-claimed waters.

China has in turn been angered over the Philippines' efforts to have a United Nations tribunal rule on the dispute, as well as its encouraging of the United States to exert military and political influence.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters approaching the coasts of its Asian neighbours.

In discussing the upcoming visits to Manila, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Monday that China wanted to improve relations with the Philippines.

"For reasons known to all, bilateral relations are facing difficulties, which is not something we want to see," Hong told reporters in Beijing.

"We value bilateral ties, and we would like to properly resolve relevant issues through consultations and negotiations."

But Hong emphasised the onus rested on the Philippines to improve ties.

"We hope the Philippines can work towards the same direction together with China... deal with relevant issues in a constructive way and create favourable conditions for the improvement of bilateral ties," he said.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino's only meeting with a Chinese leader in recent years was a very brief encounter with Xi at a tree planting ceremony on the sidelines of the last APEC summit, which China hosted.

Most leaders from the 21-member APEC grouping, including US President Barack Obama, had already accepted invitations from the Philippines to attend the Manila edition, which starts on November 18.

The silence until Monday from Beijing over whether Xi would attend had fuelled speculation in the Philippines that he intended to snub Aquino because of the row.