HANGZHOU - China and Africa should work together to tackle new challenges and ensure their strategic partnership based on equality and mutual benefits, diplomats and scholars said at a forum on Thursday.

"The nature of the relationship will remain unchanged, but as time moves on, there are numerous problems we need to address," Liu Guijin, special representative of the Chinese government on African Affairs, said at the first meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum.

The forum was held under the auspices of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), an inter-governmental initiative launched in 2000 aimed at enhancing bilateral ties and bringing tangible benefits for African countries.