Chinese foreign trade minister Shi Guangsheng said in Beijing Tuesday China hopes to expand its economic cooperation and trade relations with Africa in the new century with the convening of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum -- Ministerial Conference Beijing 2000.

He made the remarks during meetings with four senior African trade officials. They were South African Minister of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin, Mozambican Minister of Industry and Trade Carlos Morgado, Nigerian Chief Economic Advisor to the President Philip Asiodu and Nigerian Minister of Commerce and Industry Seyni Oumarou.

South Africa is one of China's largest trade partners in the African continent. Sino-South African trade volume hit US$1.722 billion in 1999, and the figure in the first eight months of this year reached US$1.305 billion, up 22.4 percent over the same period last year.

Nigeria is China's third largest trade partner in Africa, next to South Africa and Egypt. Two-way trade volume reached US$578 million last year, up 50.3 percent from the previous year.

(Xinhua 10/11/2000)