DURBAN, South Africa - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that his country is ready to boost cooperation with Uganda, Mozambique and Ethiopia.

Xi made the remarks during separate meetings with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

Calling Museveni a witness of China-Africa friendship and a trustworthy old friend of China, Xi said China attaches importance to the cooperation projects Uganda is interested in and stands ready to strengthen bilateral economic and trade cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit.

China, he said, is willing to work with Uganda and other African countries to bring to fruit the proposed partnership regarding cross-border infrastructure construction on the continent.

Museveni, whose country now holds the rotating chairs of several African regional organizations, said Uganda cherishes the bilateral friendship and hopes for more Chinese support and assistance for the development of both Uganda and Africa.

During his meeting with Guebuza, Xi noted that China and Mozambique have helped each other in their struggles for independence, peace and development.

China-Mozambique cooperation now enjoys a bright future, and China encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Mozambique's priority areas of development, Xi added.

Noting that Southern Africa boasts great development potential, Xi said China is ready to work with the Southern African Development Community to promote the region's interconnectivity and socioeconomic development.

For his part, Guebuza said his country is ready to cooperate with China to deepen bilateral friendly cooperation and advance the integration process of Southern Africa.

Noting that Chinese businesses have built a good reputation in Mozambique, Guebuza said Mozambique welcomes more Chinese involvement in the country's development in agriculture, electricity, energy and infrastructure.

When meeting with Hailemariam, Xi said China and Ethiopia follow similar development concepts and hold identical stances on many major global and regional issues. China, he said, is ready to intensify bilateral exchanges on national governance and consolidate practical cooperation so as to bring tangible benefits to both peoples and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Xi also congratulated Hailemariam on his being elected as the new rotating chairperson of the African Union (AU), saying that China values the role of the regional body and will make concerted efforts with Ethiopia to further enhance China-AU and China-Africa ties.

Ethiopia, said Hailemariam, treasures the traditional friendship with China, regards China as a partner of and role model for development, and stands ready to cooperate with China on international and African affairs.

The prime minister added that Ethiopia hopes to expand bilateral cooperation so as to improve the country's infrastructure and promote its socioeconomic development.

The meetings were held on the sidelines of the fifth summit of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Following the summit, leaders from BRICS and African countries held a dialogue forum to promote cooperation between the vibrant group and the promising continent.