Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong on Tuesday called on China and Africa to conduct equal and mutual-beneficial economic cooperation for win-win results and common development.

Stressing huge potentials in future cooperation, Zeng said China aims to build a new type of partnership with Africa, which is featured by long-term stability, equality, mutual benefit and all-round cooperation.

"Ours is one of South-South cooperation aimed at achieving common development. We should ensure equality and mutual benefit and draw on each other's strength," Zeng, who is in South Africa for the last leg of his four-country African visit, said at the China-South Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Seminar.

While reaffirming China's continuous assistance to African countries "with no political strings attached," Zeng said China would explore "new ways and new forms of cooperation, bilateral and multilateral alike."

He also said China and Africa should join hands to protect common rights and interests of developing countries in the new round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.

Zeng told South African business leaders that the Chinese and African economies are highly complementary since Africa boasts rich natural resources and China has applicable technologies and development expertise.

"China will endeavor to optimize the bilateral trade structure and achieve an overall balance, and will encourage its competent enterprises to go to Africa with greater investment, working together with their African counterparts for a win-win result and creating more jobs for the local communities," Zeng said.

Trade between China and Africa hit a new record high last year, reaching US$18.55 billion, 23 times the figure of 25 years ago, he said, adding that China has set up 638 enterprises in Africa with total contracted investment of US$1.263 billion.

"This is but a beginning of the vigorous and promising exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and African business communities," said Zeng, who led a delegation of ministerial officials of commerce and trade and Chinese entrepreneurs.

South Africa-China trade alone has accounted for more than 20 percent of China-Africa trade, reaching US$3.87 billion last year, or more than doubled compared with that when the two countries forged diplomatic ties six years ago.

"South Africa has remained China's largest and most important trading partner in Africa," and both sides are convinced that bilateral relations and economic partnership will hold out an immensely broad prospect, Zeng said.

China is willing to take more substantive steps in the areas of human resources, research and development, and technology transfers as to enhance Africa's basic capacity for development, he said.

"China's development is bound to present favorable opportunities and yield positive impact on Africa's development," he said.

Zeng urged governments of both China and African countries to improve service in fields such as policy-making, consultation, information sharing, legislation, financial service and taxation in order to help create a favorable environment for enterprises of both sides.

He also proposed to establish a mechanism of entrepreneur exchanges and an early launch of the China-Africa Joint Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

On the deepening economic globalization, the vice president said China and Africa should step up consultation and cooperation in safeguarding the common rights and interests of the developing countries.

"China and Africa share extensive common interests, and common tasks and goals in the new round of WTO negotiations or the establishment of a fair and rational new international economic order," he said.

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China is ready to maintain and promote the common economic rights and interests of the developing countries, including African countries, in various international settings, he said.

Winding up his African tour to Tunisia, Togo, Benin and South Africa, Zeng will leave for home on Tuesday. He is the third Chinese leader on Africa's soil since the end of last year, following visits by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2004)