On June 9, 1975, China and the Philippines established diplomatic relations. In November 2018, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the Philippines and met with Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, the two leaders agreed to upgrade China-Philippines relationship to comprehensive strategic cooperation and jointly advance the Belt and Road construction.

In May 2022, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos. In June, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Vice President Wang Qishan attended the inauguration ceremony of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos in Manila. In November, President Xi Jinping met with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos  on the sidelines of the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.  

In January 2023, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos paid a state visit to China, President Xi Jinping held talks with him. In July, President Xi Jinping met with former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing. 

China and the Philippines have embassies in each other. China has consulates general in Cebu and Davao and a consulate in Laoag. The Philippines has consulates general in Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hong Kong and Macau.

In 2024, the bilateral trade between China and the Philippines was valued at 71.6 billion US dollars. Of this, China's exports amounted to 52.27 billion US dollars and imports to 19.32 billion US dollars. China is the largest trading partner, source of imports and second largest export market of the Philippines.