?BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is a very useful platform for China and Africa to collectively discuss and propose more concrete and practical measures to promote their common development and cooperation, said Zeng Aiping, deputy executive director of the China-Asian African Cooperation Centre, in a recent interview with Xinhuanet.

“FOCAC covers a very wide range of areas in terms of China-Africa cooperation,” he said.

On the upcoming summit in Beijing in September, he said, more concrete measures are expected to be proposed to promote Chinese investment in Africa and also encourage African investment in China.

In terms of people-to-people communications, he added, the forum will promote more exchanges and build a stronger base for people-to-people diplomacy to further the bilateral relations.

He pointed out the FOCAC has contributed much to Africa’s development in many areas, particularly in trade, agriculture, health care and security.

China has been the biggest trade partner of African countries and has provided advanced technologies to help improve their agricultural productivity and industrial capacity, he said.

In the area of health care, for instance, China has sent doctors, nurses and experts to treat patients and help with disease control, he added.

In the peace and security sector, FOCAC has been devoted to promoting Africa’s capability in resolving internal conflicts and security problems while seeking a better external environment, Zeng said.