Chinese FM's visit to Africa attests to strong China-Africa ties

The Chinese government also rolled out about 900 assistance programs in Africa covering agriculture, health, education and other fields and offered training to over 30,000 local people since 2012.

The Chinese economy may be slowing down in its industrial and manufacturing sectors, but the growth in its consumption and services sector is still adequate to push growth in African countries which depend on trade with China, said Jonathan Stichbury from Pine Bridge Investments, a financial services advisory and wealth management firm in Nairobi, Kenya.

IMPLEMENT OUTCOMES OF JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT

During his visit, Wang met leaders and foreign ministers in those four countries to discuss how to implement the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and to align priority cooperation areas and projects.

At the FOCAC summit in Johannesburg in December 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of 10 major plans for China-Africa cooperation to help Africa accelerate industrialization and agricultural modernization, and strengthen infrastructure.

Xi also pledged to provide 60 billion dollars in financial assistance to Africa, including 10 billion dollars for a China-Africa production capacity cooperation fund.

These plans address the urgent needs of Africa and are consistent with the direction of African countries' development, Wang said in Malawi.

The 60-billion-dollar Chinese pledge for multi-faceted cooperation with Africa over the next three years is a major growth driver for Africa, Stichbury said.

Leaders of the four African countries, speaking highly of the 10 major plans proposed by President Xi, expressed their willingness to participate in the plans to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Wang told reporters in Windhoek, Namibia after wrapping up his visit.

The overall goal of the plans is to help Africa accelerate its industrialization and realize diversified development to enhance its capacity for self-development, so that the continent would no longer be affected by the fluctuation in international commodity prices, he said.