Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe said on Friday that he eyes the upcoming Africa-China summit in Beijing as a platform for both sides to lay a cornerstone for better cooperation in the future.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Gnassingbe stressed that the Beijing summit is an ideal platform for Chinese and African leaders to discuss issues of their common concern.

Africa and China must set the necessary cornerstone for their cooperation, he said, hoping that the summit will focus on building a strong and far-reaching partnership between the two sides.

The cornerstone is a must for future China-Africa cooperation considering the developments of both sides in recent years, said the president.

On the one hand, China has been playing an increasingly significant role in the economic and political affairs of the world, while on the other, African countries, with the backing of the African Union and other regional organizations, have begun the process of political and economic integration, he added.

He thought it was the right decision, under these new circumstances, to hold the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, scheduled for Nov. 3-5.

Gnassingbe said that the African continent needs to have more international cooperation than before, amid huge sufferings due to civil war, poverty, AIDS and tuberculosis.

China has always provided African countries with the assistance they badly need, supporting their struggle against colonial rule in the past, and offering assistance for their development since winning national independence from the shackles of various colonial powers, he said.

Thanks to its unselfish cooperative attitude, China has gained more influence in Africa, bringing the historical links between the two sides to a new level, according to the president.

Gnassingbe spoke highly of the friendship between Togo and China, since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972.

Both Togo and China are satisfied to see the fruits of their cooperation, fostered by late Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema and the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, he said.

Chinese universities have done a lot to help with the training of Togolese professionals, especially in medicine and agriculture, he said, adding that China's assistance has also been in the field of infrastructure and other areas.

Citing the partnership agreement he signed during his trip to China in February, he said that both sides laid emphasis on the development of agriculture, infrastructure and public health.

He said he has been ever more convinced since his visit that Africa's future lies in China, and that the future success of the world can not be set apart from China's own.

Gnassingbe expressed hope that China will have a greater role to play in the future.

"We are happy to see that China's political position is similar to that of other Southern Countries and to act as their protector. In the United Nations, where reforms are ongoing to make it more democratic, China sides with the Southern Countries," he said.

"In building a fairer world for our people, China is a partner and front-runner," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2006)