Jiang made the remarks while meeting visiting Namibian President Sam Nujoma, who arrived in China Wednesday for a seven-day visit.

Describing Africa as a place of hope, Jiang said that peace and stability are the prerequisites for its rejuvenation.

China backs African countries in the spirit of unity and ethnic reconciliation in their efforts to resolve disputes independently and peacefully through negotiations, Jiang was quoted as saying by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The development of Africa has caught the attention of the international community recently and the continent will be the focus of discussions in the UN Security Council this year.

Currently, territorial and other disputes still exist in the western Sahara, Somalia, Burundi and a number of other regions in Africa.

According to the spokesman, both presidents looked forward to expanding economic cooperation.

Confident that China and Namibia share great potential in the economic field, Jiang said the two nations should explore new ways for development.

Nujoma, meanwhile, expressed particular interest in enhancing cooperation in agriculture and fishery.

Since China and Namibia established diplomatic ties 10 years ago, China has helped the African country dig wells and with housing construction. New projects include the expansion of a hydropower station and the construction of a tannery.

Calling the two nations "all-weather friends,'' Jiang said developing long-term stable and comprehensively cooperative relations with Namibia serves as an impetus to co-operation between developing countries and for peace and progress in the world.

Nujoma's visit comes about a month after China hosted the China-Africa Cooperation Forum 2000, an event which shows China's commitment to developing ties with African nations, said the spokesman. The forum passed documents that outlined the future development of China-African cooperation and highlighted China and Africa's belief in a new world political and economic order.

The Namibian president spoke highly of the forum, saying he is confident that it will promote ties between China and Africa, according to the spokesman.

Apart from Beijing, Nujoma is also scheduled to visit east China's Suzhou and Shanghai.

(China Daily 11/23/2000)