Chinese FM wraps up five-nation Africa visit, hails 'new changes' in cooperation

In Madagascar, Wang said that China welcomes African countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative.

China has already started to explore cooperation opportunities with a number of African countries, especially those on the eastern coast of Africa and has achieved positive progress in this regard.

With the deepening of cooperation, the African continent will get more development benefits from this cooperation, said Wang.

As Africa's largest island and an important country, Madagascar is geographically nearest to China among African countries. Madagascar had direct links with the ancient maritime silk road in history, which make it a natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. It has won support from over 100 countries and international organizations.

China would help the Republic of Congo build a special economic zone (SEZ) in the harbor city of Pointe Noire, Wang said.

The Pointe Noire SEZ would draw upon China's rich experience in development, and turn into a flagship program for China-Africa production capacity cooperation.

The current complexity in global politics and economics has brought many uncertainties to the peace and development of the African continent, as well as new opportunities, Wang said while in Nigeria.

China has the desire and capacity to make new contributions to Africa's peace and development through deepening its cooperation with the continent, he said.

"Unlike other development partners, the Chinese are investing in infrastructure and industries which could help propel Tanzania to middle income status by 2025," Gaudence Mpangala, professor at the Ruaha Catholic University in Iringa Region, told Xinhua.