A United Nations (UN) official yesterday spoke highly of the nation's assistance to Africa, saying China's role in the continent is "extraordinarily positive and extraordinarily important."

"Watching the development of Africa, I believe China's help is among the most pragmatic, well-directed and properly-targeted of any of the partners that I know," Jeffrey D Sachs, director of the UN Millennium Project, said at a seminar on China-Africa partnership in Beijing.

"Because, frankly speaking, China has fewer lectures than Europe and the United States and more practical help much of the time," said Sachs, who is also the special advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals, a poverty reduction initiative.

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and all the world's leading development institutions.

In the last two years, Sachs has been actively involved in the Millennium Villages Project in Africa, a UN initiative in which 12 villages in 10 countries have been selected to demonstrate how the MDGs can be achieved in rural Africa within five years through community-led development.

China has made record-breaking progress in the fight against poverty, and now is eager to share its great success with other low-income countries around the world, Sachs said.

"Backed by the experience and confidence of its own economic breakthroughs, China is stepping up its efforts to support Africa's economic development," he added. "The benefits to Africa are sure to be enormous."

The seminar, co-hosted by the UN National System in China and the China-Africa Business Council, gathered UN officials, government officials, ambassadors of African countries and experts to discuss the partnership between China and Africa.

Sachs' views were echoed by Khalid Malik, UN Resident Co-ordinator in China and UNDP Resident Representative, who said at the seminar that China has demonstrated a strong interest and capacity to support MDG achievement in Africa.

"The discussion is extremely timely, given the unprecedented expansion in South-South trade, investment and aid flows that has taken place in recent years, in which China's role has been the major driving force," Malik said.

The remarks of both officials were based on the solid economic co-operation between China and Africa and massive health and agricultural aid from China.

Trade volume has jumped from US$120 million in 1956 to US$39.7 billion last year, according to Foreign Ministry statistics. China's direct investment in African countries amounts to US$1.18 billion, with more than 800 Chinese enterprises operating on the continent.

More than 16,000 medical staff have been sent to Africa to help improve medical services on the continent.

Source: China Daily