Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja arrived in Beijing on Thursday for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Forty eight African countries that have diplomatic relations with China are to participate in the two-day summit slated for Nov. 4.

The president, also chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, said in a written interview with Xinhua in October that the summit is a chance "to objectively review what has been done, to ensure what has been successfully completed, and to find and acknowledge the existing deficiencies" in China-Africa cooperation.

China and Niger restored diplomatic relations on August 19, 1996. Nigerian President Mamadou Tandja and Prime Minister Hama Amadou visited China in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

Bilateral trade reached 34 million U.S. dollars in 2005.

Source: Xinhua