Meanwhile, he brushed aside Western suggestions that China should exert pressure on the Sudanese government on the issue of Darfur, saying "exerting pressure on a foreign country and interfering in its internal affairs are not in line with China's foreign policy."

China's policy on Darfur is to conduct sincere exchanges of information with the Sudanese government on the basis of equality and mutual respect, so as to let Khartoum understand the needs and expectations of the international community, and to make constructive suggestions to it as a true friend, he explained.

On China's overall Africa policy, Du singled out Westerners' "two misunderstandings" on the issue.

"Firstly, the West thought China developed relations with Africa only in recent years because of its need for oil and other natural resources in Africa," he said. "Secondly, the West thought China was willing to develop relations only with African countries with rich oil and natural resources."

He said Sino-African relations have had a long history, with China by no means focusing on exploring African countries' energy resources.

He said that when China carried out its largest assistance projects in Africa - the Tanzania-Zambia Railway - in the 1970s, it was an oil exporter to Africa.

He also refuted the West's accusation that China was practicing so-called "neo-colonialism" in Africa by exploring oil.