China has
announced $60bn (£40bn) of assistance and loans for Africa to help with the
development of the continent.
President Xi Jinping said the
package would include zero-interest loans as well as scholarships and training
for thousands of Africans.
The Chinese leader made the
announcement at a major summit between China and Africa in Johannesburg.
South Africa's President Jacob
Zuma welcomed the deepening partnership with Africa's biggest trading partner.
He said that China and the
African continent each made up a third of the world's population, bringing with
it the possibility of new markets and production possibilities.
The two-day Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation (Focac) is the second time China has brought together African
leaders since the forum was launched in Beijing in 2000.
The BBC's Karen Allen in
Johannesburg says China's announcement of grants, loans and development funds
was widely anticipated, although the figure exceeded expectations.
Much of this additional
assistance is likely to be focused on infrastructure projects to help boost
economic development but details of the deals have not been announced.
According to China's official
Xinhua news agency, the assistance will focus on 10 areas, including
industrialisation, the modernisation of agricultural, financial services, green
development and peace and security.
Mr Xi said this was his seventh
visit to Africa and his second as Chinese president and on each trip he saw
progress and change.
Africa's
momentum was "unstoppable", he said.
"The late Nelson Mandela of
South Africa once said: 'We stand at the dawn of an African century, a century
where Africa will take its rightful place among the nations of the world.'
"I couldn't agree more with
this statement and I am convinced that African countries and people are
embracing a new era that is truly theirs."
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