BEIJING, May 6 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's African trip will help create an upgraded version of China-Africa all-round cooperation and carry forward the relationship to a new era.

This is another significant diplomatic move taken by China's new leadership in the new circumstances, after Chinese President Xi Jinping's maiden overseas trip in March 2013.

Chinese top leaders' frequent visits to the continent show that Africa is of significant importance to China's foreign policy, and that the relationship between the two sides has stood the test of time.

MUTUAL POLITICAL SUPPORT

The relations between the two sides have entered a "golden period," and the two sides share closely-linked destinies, said Li prior to and during his trip.

China and Africa have always supported each other and treated each other as equals during the course of national liberalization and construction, said Li, who is visiting Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya.

Actually, the seeds of affinity were sown in the mid-20th century, when the Chinese and African peoples supported each other in their just cause of fighting imperialism to gain national independence.

On October 25, 1971, China resumed its legal status in the United Nations largely due to support from the developing world, including many African countries. Late Chinese leader Mao Zedong said with humor: "It's our African brothers that have carried us into the U.N."

In October 2000, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was launched. In 2006, China and Africa agreed to upgrade their relationship to a new type of strategic partnership featuring political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges.

Fifty years after late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai's landmark visit to the continent, Li's visit is crucial to further deepen the China-Africa comprehensive cooperative partnership.

China supports Africa in solving Africa's problems in an African way and stands ready to assist Africa's capacity-building in such areas as peace-keeping, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy, Li said.

Reaffirming the defining feature of China-Africa relations as sincerity, friendship, mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, which was first summed up by Xi during his visit to Africa last year, Li said past interactions are great treasures to his country and continue to nurture the development of bilateral ties.