Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with South African President Jacob Zuma during the opening ceremony of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dec 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

JOHANNESBURG - Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed here Friday that his country and Africa lift their relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and join hands to open a new era of win-win cooperation and common development.

In order to forge the new relationship, Xi, in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), called for concerted efforts to strengthen "five major pillars" and announced 10 major plans to boost bilateral win-win cooperation.

The address, punctuated by rounds of applause, resonated among officials and observers, who say that it will lead the friendship and cooperation between the world's largest developing country and the continent that is home to the largest number of developing countries to an even brighter future.

Five major pillars

Describing China and Africa as good friends, good partners and good brothers with a common future, Xi said the two sides have always been a community of common destiny, with similar historical experiences having generated a profound friendship between their people.

Under the new circumstances, he pointed out, the two sides need to translate the strengths of their traditional friendship into driving forces to boost solidarity, cooperation and development, so as to deliver more tangible benefits to both peoples.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Dec 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

"In conducting China's relations with Africa, we adhere to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and uphold the values of friendship, justice and shared interests," Xi told the audience, which included dozens of heads of state or government.

He suggested that China and African countries focus on reinforcing "five major pillars" in their joint efforts to foster the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

In politics, the two sides should remain committed to political equality and mutual trust, said Xi, stressing that China strongly believes that Africa belongs to the African people and African affairs should be handled by the African people.

"We should respect each other's choice of development path and not impose our own will on the other," Xi said.

In the economic realm, China and Africa should remain committed to win-win cooperation, Xi said, suggesting that the two sides fully leverage the strength of political mutual trust and economic complementarity and focus on cooperation in production capacity, construction of regional transport networks and industrialization.

Meanwhile, China and Africa, which both boast a long and splendid civilization, should learn from each other in culture, and particularly focus on boosting people-to-people exchanges between the youths, women, think tanks, media organizations and universities, Xi said.