China is willing to cooperate with the European Union (EU) in promoting Africa's development in an "open" and "constructive" manner, China's ambassador to the European Union (EU) Song Zhe said in Brussels on Friday.

"China and the EU have generally the almost same goals in safeguarding peace and development in Africa," Song told an audience at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) (the Brussels university of freedom).

Answering questions after delivering his first public speech in Brussels since taking his post in March, he said that in recent years, China and the EU had established high-level consultation systems on Africa, and had conducted dialogues and cooperation concerning Africa's development.

According to the ambassador, a director-general of the Africa department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry will be in Brussels next month to discuss African issues with his EU counterparts.

"The special envoys for Africa from both sides are in close contact," he added.

The event in VUB was sponsored by its Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies (BICCS).

Song's speech focused on China's past and future reforms, new development priorities and the prospects for Sino-EU relations.

"After more than 30 years of development, the China-EU relationship is now at a new point of departure," he said. "The relations are now transcending bilateral scope and acquiring more and more global strategic significance. China and the EU are facing important opportunities for furthering their cooperation."