Sino-African opportunities 'shouldn't slip by'

China and African countries should not fail to take advantage of "unprecedented historical opportunities" for cooperation, Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Ming said on Tuesday at the opening of the China-Africa Relations Roundtable conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The conference was a lead-up to President Xi Jinping's state visit to South Africa starting on Wednesday. After the visit, Xi will chair the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, the first one held in Africa, from Friday to Saturday.

"China has not only the capacity, but, more important, the strong political will to support Africa in realizing independent and sustainable development," Zhang said. "China-Africa cooperation is facing unprecedented historical opportunities. It is important that we do not let them slip by."