JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 4 -- China will offer more help to Africa on poverty reduction in the coming three years, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Friday.

A Sino-African cooperation program on poverty reduction and public welfare was announced by Xi at the opening ceremony of a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

China will increase its assistance to Africa to launch hundreds of projects on poverty alleviation named "Happy Life" and relevant plans focusing on women and children, said Xi.

China will also exempt the debt of the outstanding intergovernmental interest-free loans due by the end of 2015 owed by relevant least developed countries in Africa, he added.

China is willing to help Africa on poverty reduction while intensifying its domestic efforts to reduce the population living in poverty, said the president.

Over the past three decades, some 700 million rural residents across China shook off poverty. China was the first developing country to meet the Millennium Development Goals target of reducing the population living in poverty by half ahead of the 2015 deadline.

Xi pledged in Beijing last week resolute measures to help the remaining 70 million poor people in the country shake off poverty and enjoy essential social services by 2020.

China's experience in poverty alleviation could be used in helping the world complete the poverty reduction target through cooperation with other nations and foreign aid, analysts have said.

The poverty reduction program is one of the 10 major programs Xi announced Friday to strengthen cooperation with Africa in the coming three years.

Other programs cover the areas of industrialization, agricultural modernization, infrastructure, financial services, green development, trade and investment facilitation, public health, people-to-people exchanges, and peace and security.

China will offer 60 billion U.S. dollars, including 5 billion dollars non-reimbursable assistance and interest-free loans, to ensure smooth implementation of the 10 initiatives, said the president.