February 26, 2010 -- Tanzanian Ambassador to China Omar Ramadhan Mapuri said Thursday that exchange of visits between Chinese and African leaders and officials is one of the cornerstones of China-Africa relations.

Mapuri told Xinhua in a written interview that these exchanges have played and will continue to play a crucial role in strengthening China-Africa relations, cooperation and friendship.

Mapuri said it has become a tradition for Chinese leaders to visit Africa at the beginning of a new year.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited five African nations early January, following a tradition that dates back 20 years. Commerce Minister Chen Deming traveled to Ethiopia and Mozambique from Jan. 12 to 14. And Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conducted his six-nation Africa tour from Jan. 15 to 26.

Shortly after China's Spring Festival holiday, Zambian President Rupiah Banda started his first state visit to China Wednesday. Both South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi are paying official visits to China now.

"I believe more visits are forthcoming and will be reciprocated by African leaders," said Mapuri, adding that these are signs of healthy relations that need to be enhanced and deepened.

China's active participation in the improvement of infrastructure in Africa since the mid 1990s, has helped stimulate Africa's economic growth, he said.

Since the year 2000, China-Africa trade has been developing at an annual growth rate of 33.5 percent, reaching 106.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2008. The target set at the 2006 Beijing Summit of China-Africa Cooperation Forum to push trade volume to 100 billion dollars by 2010 was met two years ahead of schedule.

During the fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Egypt last November, China announced eight new measures to push forward the new China-Africa strategic partnership, which include partnership on addressing climate change, enhancement of cooperation in science and technology and extension of 10 billion U.S. dollar concessional loans.

China has also pledged to further open up its market to African products, boost cooperation with Africa in agriculture, culture and health sectors, among others.

Mapuri said, Africa is in dire need of markets for its products as well as investments and technology to improve its infrastructure and economic production capacity. China is willing to provide all these and more without political strings attached.

Mapuri said, Tanzania now is in the process of identifying specific areas of cooperation to be undertaken within the framework of the eight new measures.

According to him, Chen Deming and Vice Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun visited Tanzania in January for consultation of cooperation.

"I am very confident that we shall soon finalize our new bilateral program and start implementation," he said.