There is a great potential for China and Africa to further develop their relations, as the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is drawing near, a Vietnamese newspaper said Monday.

The summit to be held on Nov. 3-5 will be a "peak event" for the strategic partnership between China and Africa in 2006, New Hanoi said in a report.

Many analysts foresaw stronger, deeper and more substantial relations between China and Africa in all spheres, it said.

"The potential for developing the relations between China and Africa is very great," it said.

Meanwhile, their trade cooperation has entered a new period of growth, with two-way trade surging to some 40 billion U.S. dollars in 2005, it added.

China's investment in African countries has also increased remarkably, while the tourist and cultural exchanges between the two sides are expanding, it said.

Source: Xinhua