China is looking for redoubled cooperation with Africa to deal with international or regional affairs, having adopted a policy document aimed at strengthening its ties with the continent.

The document, called China's Policy toward Africa, is the first of its kind that systematically enunciates a package of policies towards developing China-Africa relations.

It explored the prospect of Sino-African cooperation in detail,defining the objectives of bilateral collaboration in 30 concrete fields relevant to policy, economy, science, education, culture, public health, social affairs, peace and security.

The African policy was passed on January 12 synchronous with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's visit to six African countries, demonstrating a hope to pool the forces of the developing countries to better safeguard their legitimate interests and rights under the current unfair and unjust international order in political and economic arenas.

The document said China will strengthen coordination and cooperation with Africa in handling international affairs, frequently exchange ideas on major international or regional issues, and give mutual support to each other when faced with difficult problems concerning national sovereignty, territorial integrity and human rights.

The African policy will contribute to the all-weather friendship between China and African countries, said An Yongyu, chief of China Society for Research on African Issues and former Chinese ambassador to several African countries.

According to An, the African friends have been firmly supportive to China for a long time on cracking hard nuts like issues of human rights and curbing Taiwan independence in adherence to the one-China policy. China also consistently safeguards the due interests and rights of African countries within its own capacity.

One of China's efforts to help Africa be more widely heard is its fight for increased representation of African members in the United Nations' Security Council.

China holds that the ongoing UN reform should take into consideration the concerns of the group of developing countries which most African countries belong to.

The policy document is aimed at increasing such mutual support and understanding, said An.

The Chinese government also stressed in the policy document its coordination and cooperation with African countries to jointly handle regional affairs.

At present, some regions in the African continent are experiencing poverty, disease and civil conflicts. "The policy document placed China and Africa in a better position to conduct cooperation that is critical and conducive to national reconciliation, political stability, economic development and peace in the continent," said Professor Lu Ting'en, head of African Research Center of Peking (Beijing) University.

The document states clearly that China will continue to participate in the peace-keeping missions in the conflict areas of Africa (China has already sent more than 3,000 peace-keepers to 12 UN peace missions in Africa since 1990) and cooperate with African countries in various dimensions such as infrastructure construction, personnel training and the prevention and treatment of AIDS.

Whether on international or regional affairs, cooperation between China and Africa "is not virtual, empty talk but substantial and real" said Xu Weizhong, an expert with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations. "The two are facing common tasks and challenges to develop their economies."

China and Africa are committed to achieving a win-win outcome through diversified cooperation and are planning their third ministerial-level meeting under the China-Africa Cooperation Forum,possibly with an unprecedented summit of top leaders.

The document is bound to be helpful to polish Sino-African ties and will lay a very sound basis for the summit, said Lu.