MAGNIFICENCE: The new AU headquarters complex in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia (DING HAITAO)

African countries are rich in raw materials and resources while they are urgently in need of light industrial products and other manufactured goods. In the meantime, China's economic restructuring requires industrial transfer. Chinese enterprises' investment in Africa not only helps China's industrial upgrading but also helps promote employment and reduce poverty in African countries, she said.

Compared with aid from Western countries, which often has harsh political requirements attached, assistance and investment from China is more welcome, said Xu.

"Many African scholars and officials hold that the relationship between China and Africa is not based on aid but on trade and development. They believe investment and trade are more helpful in promoting the development of the African continent," Xu said.

Key areas

China's aid and investment have helped African countries enhance their abilities to pursue development on their own, He Wenping said. Aid that improves the livelihoods of African people has been given particular emphasis, including building schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and water supply systems.

Historically, China paid much attention to assisting Africa's infrastructure construction efforts. The Chinese-funded Tanzania-Zambia Railway played a big role in the economic development of the continent. Rapid economic growth in Africa in the past decade is partly attributable to the improvement of its infrastructure thanks to Chinese builders.

"Infrastructure construction will still be the focus of China's assistance to the African continent in the future," He said.

The Declaration on the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa adopted at the recent 18th AU Summit also emphasized the vital role of infrastructure in its overall development and called for speeding up the continent's infrastructure development.

The AU headquarters project is one of the eight measures of the Chinese Government to strengthen cooperation with Africa announced by President Hu Jintao at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006. It shows China's strong support to the AU's efforts to promote African integration and development, He said.

Cooperation in agriculture and other fields has also been strengthened in recent years. Food security problems have always been a major cause of social turmoil on the continent. Helping African countries increase food production is an efficient way to keep Africa stable, said He Wenping.

Cooperation on hi-tech projects between China and Africa is also on the rise. Rwanda is planning to become the information center for East Africa. Chinese telecom device provider Huawei has participated in upgrading its telecom system, and Huawei is gaining an increasing share in the African telecom market.

So far, China has an investment volume of $13 billion in Africa with more than 2,000 Chinese enterprises investing extensively in fields such as electronics, communications, transportation and finance. Investment from China has effectively boosted Africa's industrialization and modernization. China is also the largest trade partner of Africa with trade exceeding $150 billion, a 13-fold increase since 2000.

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