The Forum on China- Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) consolidates and deepens relations and cooperation between the African countries and China, said African diplomats ahead of a ministerial meeting of the forum.

The Africa-China relations are deepened in economic, cultural and political fields, said Abdelkader Hadjar, Algerian ambassador to Cairo, adding that these relations serve the interests of both Africa and China.

Hadjar told Xinhua that the forthcoming ministerial meeting of the FOCAC is to strengthen these relations, adding that African countries are looking forward to the forum, waiting for concrete results that are in the interest of the people.

The Algerian ambassador stressed that the keenness of the African states to achieve greater cooperation with China aimed at strengthening their positions regarding different political issues and promoting South-South cooperation.

Meanwhile, Musa Mohammed Ahmed, ambassador of Djibouti to Cairo, said the Africa-China relations have been developed for years, which are still making great steps toward mutual fruitful cooperation to benefit the two sides.

Ahmed emphasized that the FOCAC has already scored achievements especially in the expansion and deepening of bilateral economic ties.

The FOCAC ministerial meeting and the meetings of senior officials and businessmen from African countries and China will contribute to the relations between Africa and China as a strategic objective of all parties, he said.

Both sides can benefit from the close relationship and should adopt specific strategies to further deepen economic relations and increase trade exchanges, he added.

Ahmad Hajjaj, head of the African Society, said the FOCAC reflects the Chinese willingness to help the African countries to overcome their problems and achieve faster growth.

Hajjaj told Xinhua that bilateral relations have witnessed steady growth and the two-way trade volume has increased since China became one of the most important partners of the African continent.

The fourth ministerial meeting of the FOCAC will be held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh from Nov. 8 to 9.

The main agenda of the meeting is to review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Program for China-Africa Cooperation in Economic and Social Development, two documents adopted during the first ministerial meeting of the forum held in Beijing.

The gathering is also to explore new initiatives and measures of China-Africa cooperation in such areas of priority as human resources development, agriculture, infrastructure development, investment and trade.

The forum was jointly proposed and established by China and more than 40 African countries in 2000.

The FOCAC, a collective consultation and dialogue mechanism between China and African countries, is the first of its kind in the history of China-Africa relationship. It is a major and future- oriented move taken by both sides in the context of South-South cooperation to seek common development.

Since the launch of FOCAC in 2000, three ministerial conferences have been held in Beijing, Addis Ababa and Beijing respectively.