Yesterday's launch of the China-Africa Development Fund marked an important step forward in boosting win-win development in Africa.

The amount for the first phase is only $1 billion, a figure far from enough to meet African countries' thirst for development funds. But the fund provides new opportunity to not only receive help from China but to gain valuable insight into China's development experience.

The fund is part of China's commitment to help Africa. The fund's total $5 billion will also enable Chinese enterprises to get a foothold and invest in Africa.

African countries have a huge demand for infrastructure, one of the major drivers for economic growth and poverty reduction. It is expected that this fund will largely bolster vital infrastructure construction.

While both China and many African countries recognize the mutual benefits of such a development fund, unfortunately, some quarters have criticized China for investing in the continent.

Some development experts have attacked the practice of tying economic assistance to the purchase of goods and services from the donor country as wasteful and inefficient. That may be true for many aid projects developed countries have launched in the past, but it does not necessarily apply to China's aid for and investment in Africa.

As a developing country, China can share with African countries its own important, unique experience in reducing massive poverty.

It was China's reform and opening-up that created the right policy condition for its economy to take off about three decades ago. However, the increasing availability of adequate infrastructure has also proved essential for economic development in China.

It is obvious that the infrastructure gap between Africa and the more developed countries constitutes a serious handicap to Africa's improved productivity.

It is estimated that the continent requires an investment of $20 billion annually in the next 10 years to improve infrastructure. The China-Africa Development Fund can directly help African countries address part of the problem of building much-needed infrastructure.

If African countries can take lessons taught by China's experience in overcoming poverty and boost development during the course, these aid and investment projects will be more beneficial than those critics might have thought.

(China Daily 06/27/2007 page10)