The economies of African countries and China complement each other greatly and for that reason their cooperation will be further strengthened at all levels in the coming decade, said Cheng Zhigang, Secretary General of the China-Africa Industrial Forum (CAIF), at the 2017 China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS).

Cheng also called for Chinese companies to step up their investments on the continent.

The 2017 CIFTIS, one of China's largest service sector trade fairs, kicked off in Beijing on May 28, offering a communication platform for global service trade.

According to Cheng, the fair will showcase more than 1,000 projects in its Africa-themed exhibition. The projects cover a wide range of industries including manufacturing, new energy, logistics, finance and tourism.

The CAIF was founded in 2000 under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Its mission is to facilitate exchange and cooperation in politics, economy, culture, business and trade between China and Africa.

A number of African ambassadors to China were also invited to showcase the development and investment environment of their countries at the fair.

"We are here to look for new opportunities to attract Chinese enterprises to launch their projects in Benin," said Beninese Ambassador to China Simon Pierre Adoveland. "Our advantages are our investment environment, fast growth rate and the hospitality of our people."

The ambassador also introduced several sectors in which investment is encouraged by the Government of Benin, including agriculture, real estate, and cotton industry.

The fair provides Chinese entrepreneurs with opportunities to have face-to-face exchanges with African experts and officials, and advocates orderly development of competition among Chinese companies, said Cheng.

Gambian Ambassador to China Dembo M. Badjie said the 2017 CIFTIS is the right forum to address the need for a constructive and collaborative discussion on trade and investment, and to seek new ways to ensure that all parts of society can benefit more equitably from trade.

He urged join efforts to establish logistics hubs to save time and costs in trade between Africa and China.