ADDIS ABABA, July 11 -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Thursday called on China and Ethiopia to deepen their bilateral cooperation and party-to-party communication .

Guo Jinlong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in the capital Addis Ababa.

Guo, also Beijing's Party chief, noted that China will join hands with African nations including Ethiopia to bring forth an upgraded version of China-Africa cooperation.

Guo said that CPC highly values relationship with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and is willing to plan for future development of the two parties' relations at a new starting point.

Hailemariam Desalegn, also Chairman of the EPRDF, noted that Ethiopia is currently at an important phase to speed up economic development and expressed hope to further learn from China's development experience.