China's latest measures to boost China-African ties, outlined by President Hu Jintao on Thursday in Beijing, will enrich Sino-African cooperation and open up new prospects for the development of the bilateral partnership.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Hu put forward five priority areas to expand bilateral interaction with African countries.

He announced that China will provide a $20 billion credit line to African countries, to help them develop infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

China will also help African countries enhance their capacity for overall development, and will work to promote peace and stability in Africa, so as to create a secure environment for the continent's development. Other measures include an "African Talents Program" to train 30,000 personnel in various sectors, offering 18,000 government scholarships, sending more medical personnel to the continent, and projects to provide safe drinking water for the African people.

These solemn pledges indicate China is expanding and deepening its cooperation to enhance its partnership with Africa in an all-round way.

It is noteworthy that in recent years China has focused on helping build the continent's productive capacity by improving its infrastructure and boosting the manufacturing sector. It is always better to teach people how to fish than to simply give them fish.

Statistics indicate that by August 2011, China had built more than 3,000 kilometers of roads, over 2,000 km of railway, 100 schools and 60 hospitals on the African continent. China's commitment also includes massive tariff cuts and debt exemptions for scores of African nations.

China's generous assistance to Africa has helped improve the lives of African people and contributed to the continent's social and economic development.

Expanding the depth and scope of China-Africa cooperation will also make their cooperation more sustainable.

This conforms to China's commitment to developing relations with Africa based on equality and mutual benefit. For China, Africa's exports of crude oil, minerals, steel and agricultural products have played an active role in raising Chinese people's standard of living. On the other hand, China also provides Africa with much-needed products and technologies, and a vast market for its commodities.

With the world economy still facing many uncertainties, China and African countries have everything to gain from forging healthier relations and seeking a win-win scenario in their cooperation.

(China Daily 07/20/2012 page8)