Strengthening friendly relations and cooperation with Africa is an important foundation of China's foreign policy, and remarkable development has been achieved in China-Africa ties in the past year, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in Johannesburg Saturday.

Yang, who was wrapping up a visit to Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi and South Africa, said China and Africa maintained high-level exchanges, and deepened their strategic mutual trust in 2008.

Last year, many African leaders paid official visits to China, or traveled to China to attend the Beijing Olympics and the Beijing Paralympics, he told Xinhua.

African countries continued to offer their valuable support for China on issues concerning China's core interests, he added.

Africa and China are facing new opportunities for developing their ties this year, Yang said.

Chinese leaders will continue to make the development of China-Africa ties a top priority in China's external relations, he said.

In recent years, top Chinese leaders have paid visits to Africa every year, he said, adding that more such trips are likely to be scheduled for this year.

Moreover, the fourth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is scheduled to take place in Egypt in the fourth quarter of this year, with the aim of making a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the consensus reached at the Beijing Summit of FOCAC in 2006.

In 2009, China, on the principles of sincerity and friendship, equality, mutual benefit and common development, will continue to strive to promote unity and cooperation with Africa, with emphasis on seeking ways to deepen pragmatic cooperation between the two sides, the minister said.

China will expand cooperation with African countries in infrastructure building, agriculture, telecommunications and human resources development, he said.

Yang said China attaches great importance to Africa's important role in such issues as Darfur, Zimbabwe, Somali pirates and UN Security Council reforms.

China will continue to keep close communication and coordination with Africa, strive to promote mutual understanding and mutual support, push for the peaceful settlement of relevant issues, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2009)