President Xi Jinping's visit to Africa will cement the long-standing friendship between China and the continent and open up a new chapter in the strategic and practical cooperation between the two sides.

Xi arrived in Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital, on Sunday to begin his three-nation African trip, which will also take him to South Africa and the Republic of Congo. The fact that African countries are three of the four destinations on Xi's first overseas trip as president - the first stop was Russia - shows the importance China's new leadership attaches to Sino-African interaction.

It is heartening to see, despite the vicissitudes of the times, that the ties between China and African countries have never been stronger. The two sides are supporting each other in their pursuit of common development and collaborating closely on international affairs.