Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Ato Meles Zenawi on Saturday, highlighting comprehensive and cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Hu met Meles on the sidelines of the ongoing Beijing Summit of the Forum on the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which opened earlier Saturday.

China and Ethiopia have increased exchanges between their governments, ruling parties, legislatures, localities and people, expanded trade and two-way investment and witnessed fruitful cooperation in areas including agriculture, personnel training and infrastructure construction, said Hu.

The two countries have also maintained consultations and coordination in international affairs, Hu added.

"Ethiopia has actively participated in the affairs of the FOCAC and played an important role in implementing the follow-up actions of the forum and in preparing for this summit," Hu said.

Meles, whose country co-chairs the forum, said the two countries share common aspirations for developing friendly bilateral cooperation as the exchanges between governments and peoples get closer.

Meles expressed his appreciation for Hu's announcement of eight aid measures for Africa, vowing to make continued efforts to promote a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership.

At the opening ceremony of the two-day summit, President Hu announced a package of major assistance, investment, trade and other key cooperation projects with Africa in an effort to strengthen China-Africa cooperation in more areas and at a higher level.

In the eight-step package, China will double its 2006 assistance to Africa by 2009 and will provide 3 billion U.S. dollars of preferential loans and 2 billion U.S. dollars of preferential buyer's credits to Africa in the coming three years.

China will also cancel debts in the form of all the interest- free government loans that matured at the end of 2005 owed by the heavily indebted poor countries and the least developed countries in Africa that have diplomatic relations with China.

Over the next three years, China will train 15,000 African professionals, Hu said.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the summit, Meles said the China-Africa partnership forged 50 years ago must be renewed to address immediate challenges of fighting poverty and backwardness and seeking economic independence.

Meles said African and Chinese economies are highly complementary. "Africa provides to the growing Chinese economy a reliable field for investment, trade and the utilization of natural resources for mutual benefit. China provides for Africa a source of successful development experience, technology transfer, trade and investment."

The prime minister said the African people had "very high expectations" from the renewed Sino-African strategic partnership and "welcomed" China's tremendous progress in the economic and other fields.

Hu, 41 heads of state or government and senior officials of 48 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China, as well as representatives from regional and international organizations, attended the milestone gathering highlighting "friendship, peace, cooperation and development".

Source: Xinhua