MANILA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The first China book center in the Philippines was unveiled on Monday in University of the Philippines, aiming to promote cultural exchange between the two countries.

Located in the Asian center of the University of the Philippines Diliman, the China book center was jointly established by the Chinese embassy in the Philippines, China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and the University of the Philippines (UP).

Tan Qingsheng, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese embassy, said he hoped the China book center will provide the teachers and students in UP with a window to a whole picture of China and give them an insight of China's history, culture, and development.

"I also hope more Filipino scholars and students could be the ambassadors of friendship and cooperation between China and the Philippines," He said.

In the China book center, around 1,000 books in English and Chinese are available to local readers. All books, covering Chinese politics, economy, culture and ecology, are donated by CIPG.

Chen Shi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of CIPG, said the China book center in UP is the first one in the Philippines and the second one in Southeast Asia. The other one is at Bangkok University in Thailand.

Chancellor of University of the Philippines Diliman Michael Lim Tan expressed his gratitude during the unveiling ceremony of the China book center.

Tan said the books can be a bridge and will boost the mutual understanding between the two countries.

There are just so many activities on Chinese culture in UP and the unveiling of the China book center will be a very effective measure for understanding China further, he added.

UP is one of the most famous universities in the Philippines with a history of more than one 100 years.

UP has established close ties with China in recent years, including the academic exchange programs with Peking University and Tsinghua University.