China willing to promote modernization with Africa: vice premier

GUANGZHOU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa concerning its development and to join hands in promoting modernization, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong said on Tuesday in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the 5th Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation.

Liu said China and Africa have worked together to deepen and consolidate relations and the two sides have entered a new stage of jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Noting that the world today is intertwined and chaotic, with changes unseen in a century accelerating, Liu said China and Africa need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever.

Liu said the local governments of China and Africa should treat each other as equals for mutual benefit and win-win results, and expand the dimensions of opening-up and cooperation.

Stressing innovation, Liu called on both sides to speed up green transformation, while upholding inclusiveness and mutual learning to boost people-to-people exchanges.

China is ready to promote alignment between the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, the African Union's 2063 Agenda and the development strategies of African countries, Liu added.

About 350 political leaders from African countries and officials of local governments and relevant institutions from China and Africa attended the conference.