China doesn't have the will or ability to exercise monopoly control over Africa's development, a senior Chinese diplomat said.

It instead wants to cooperate with Western and emerging economies to contribute to the continent's long-term prosperity, said Liu Guijin, former Chinese ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

"China isn't about to take over Africa," Liu said. "It's instead going to give it more choices and make a real contribution to its development."

He noted that the founding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000 paved the way for the establishment of collaboration forums between Africa and other emerging countries, such as South Korea, Turkey and Brazil.

"Emerging powers have had a conspicuous influence on this continent, especially from India," he said. "We could collaborate with each other while competing in a free-market system.

"Competition in turn will stimulate improvements and innovations in Chinese industries," he said ahead of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which will take place on Thursday.

"This relationship definitely has no weaknesses, as far as determining the future cooperation of the two places goes," Liu said. "But we also should pay attention to any flaws that might exist in it and find a way to build a sustainable bilateral relationship."

He said many plans have resulted from cooperation between China and Africa. Even so, Africa still has great opportunities to contribute more to the relationship.

"This is because there is no so-called single voice of Africa," he said. "Most African countries have the determination and will to cooperate with China. But concrete policies toward that end will be conducted at a state-to-state level, will be bilateral rather than multilateral and will be conducted in accordance with their different cultures, histories and social backgrounds."

Liu also said the continent's coordination system is not well-developed. The African Union, an organization consisting of 54 African states, is expected to operate more efficiently.

Even so, each of those members has its own agenda and interests, making it difficult to coordinate their actions.

Yet room exists for more initiatives to come from Africa, Liu said. And the relationship has already been misunderstood by Western countries.

Some countries have accused China of neo-colonialism and of exploiting the continent's resources.

"Western misconceptions of the Sino-African relationship will pose difficulties to the relationship. African leaders, intellectuals and media are deeply influenced by Western ideology."

Integration was the theme of this year's African Union summit, which aimed to stimulate trade among African countries and establish a stronger infrastructure network on the continent.

"China strongly supports regional integration and will try its best to contribute to this process," Liu said. "For instance, we will strive to build more infrastructure in these various countries."

As the relationship strengthens, Africa has already become less of a remote and mysterious continent to China, and its peace and development are now matters of concern to common Chinese people, he said.

"For instance, the removal of Chinese from Libya last year proved China couldn't ignore the issues of peace and security in Africa," he said. "They directly affect China's increasing interests there."

China will always have a non-intervention policy toward African countries' domestic affairs, but its relations with the continent should be seen as developing rather than rigid, Liu said.

"In some regional conflicts, we can be mediators and give advice, and help arrange the peace process," he said. "But we are not applying pressure or sanctions or giving out orders. The priority should be to show respect."

Contact the writer at lilianxing@chinadaily.com.cn