The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries admire China's great stride in economic development and consider the success made by China as a success of themselves too, Erastus Mwencha, secretary-general of the Africa's largest economic grouping said here on Friday.

Mwencha made the remarks when he received the credential from Chinese Special Representative to COMESA Li Qiangmin who is also Chinese Ambassador to Zambia.

"China has assumed an important place in the world economy. We see that success also our success because the fact that China is able to achieve this economic growth in a very short time gave us hope and courage that Africa would be able to achieve it in a short time too," the secretary-general said.

Mwencha said it was a "great honor" to continue working with China because China has been an all-weather friend of Africa.

"We have seen Chinese investment in many African counties. We have also seen China's supports to Africa in areas of culture, social affairs and training of many Africans in China," he said.

Mwencha invited Li to attend the COMESA summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 22-23. He said COMESA was deepening its integration and the summit would be looking at how to strengthen the integration and the Free Trade Area that the regional bloc is operating and how to move forward to establish the Customs Union which is scheduled to be launched in 2008.

"The summit will also look at how COMESA can continue to work with the rest of the world for us to cope with the globalization," he added.

Li commended COMESA for the supports it rendered to China in the past few years. He said China would constantly give it full supports too in the development of Africa's politics, economy and social affairs.

China became the third country to send a special representative to the COMESA in 2004.

COMESA is Africa's largest economic bloc with a membership of 20 and a total population of about 400 million.

Source: Xinhua