China and Africa are establishing a new type of strategic partnership and Chinese premier's upcoming visit to Africa will further consolidate and develop such a relation, a Chinese official said.

The official with the Foreign Ministry said on Friday that during the visit by premier Wen Jiabao to seven African countries, several dozens of agreements of cooperation will be signed between the two sides.

The agreements will cover various fields, such as politics, economy and trade, culture, education, health, agriculture and science and technology, according to the official.

Wen will pay official visits to Egypt, Ghana, the Republic of Congo, Angola, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda from June 17 to 24.

This will be Wen's second visit to Africa since he participated in a China-Africa forum in Ethiopia in December 2003.

Wen will hold talks with leaders of the seven countries and exchange views on promoting bilateral relations, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

TIME-HONORED FRIENDS

China has been stepping up efforts to consolidate relations with African countries over recent years. It published some documents on its African policy early this year and Chinese President Hu Jintao visited three African nations in April. Besides, a summit and the third ministerial level meeting of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum will held in Beijing in November.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and African countries. There have been more than 800 high level visits between the two sides since 50 years ago.

Among these visits, more than 160 visits were paid by Chinese leaders and foreign ministers to Africa and 676 ones by leaders of ministerial level and higher levels of 51 African countries to China.

China has now established diplomatic relations with 47 African countries.

ECONOMIC PARTNERS IN NEW CENTURY

Economic and trade relations between China and Africa have also developed rapidly. In 2000, bilateral trade volume topped 10 billion U.S. dollars for the first time. The number in 2005 hit 39.7 billion dollars, more than 800 times of that of 50 years ago, the sources said.

China has had a total of direct investment in Africa of 1.18 billion dollars and initiated more than 800 enterprises of various types in Africa.

Within the framework of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, established in 2000, China has remitted 156 debts of 31 African countries, amounting to 10.5 billion yuan (some 1.3 billion U.S. dollars).

China has also eliminated tariff on 190 categories of products exporting from 29 least developed African countries to China.

Besides, China has announced to train 10,000 personnel of various kinds for African countries in the recent 3 years and listed 16 African countries as the tourist destination status countries for Chinese citizens.

In the past 50 years, China has aided nearly 900 projects in Africa related to economic and social development, sent 16,000 person-times of medical care personnel to Africa, offered government scholarship for 50 African countries and sent more than 3,000 officers and soldiers to carry out the United Nations task of safeguarding peace in Africa.

CHINA RECEIVES STRONG SUPPORT FROM AFRICAN COUNTRIES

The African countries have also supported China a lot in its 11 times of defeating anti-China proposals at the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the 13 times of rejection by the UN General Assembly to Taiwan's attempts of returning to the United Nations, said the sources.

China received strong support from African countries in its successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2010 World Expo.

Source: Xinhua