China hopes to cooperate closely with African countries and improve partnerships within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress Wu Bangguo said this while meeting with Speaker of Ethiopia's House of the Federation Mulatu Teshome Tuesday in Beijing.

Mulatu said the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation works to surpass geographical distance to promote bilateral relations.

On China- Ethiopia relations, Wu Bangguo noted China hopes to push forward cooperative ties in a continuous manner.

Mulatu expressed his hope that the two countries could expand economic cooperation and increase investment activities.

(CRI.com December 22, 2004)