Since the China-Africa Cooperation Forum was launched in mid-2000, the fast development of the Sino-Afro relationship has played a positive role in raising Africa's international status and the bilateral trade has helped the continent's economic growth increase by 20 percent. The eight measures introduced at the China-Africa Summit in 2006 have proved a significant boost to the faster development of African economy and efforts to realize the UN Millennium Goals.

Also, at the inaugural India-Africa Summit held in New Delhi in April and the fourth Japan-Africa summit in Japan the following month, India and Japan both promised to step up aid for Africa. And the World Bank has made plans to almost double the amount of agricultural loans earmarked for Africa to $800 million. All these efforts have improved the external environment for Africa's development.

We have reason to believe that the African economy can still stand up to all kinds of challenges head on and maintain the momentum of development as long as its development potential is brought into full play and the favorable international factors remain in force.

The author is a researcher with Institute of West Asian and African Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

(China Daily July 15, 2008)