CHANGSHA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's experiences can be taken for reference by African countries as they are seeking for development and poverty alleviation, said Justin Yifu Lin, former senior vice president and chief economist at the World Bank, on Wednesday, a day ahead of the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.

China was one of the poorest regions in the world in the 1970s, while it rose to the second largest economy through reform and opening-up. China's approach to modernization offers a fresh choice for those African countries which want better development and keep their independence at the same time, said Lin, also an economist with Peking University.

"We do hope other developing nations that have similar history and destiny, including the African countries, to realize the same dream and achieve the same progress we have made," Lin said.

The upcoming trade expo will promote experiences on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, said Lin, adding that 101 cooperation cases that cover agriculture, industrial manufacturing, business and trade, energy and power, industrial park cooperation, construction and engineering, financing and service industry will be introduced to the participants at the expo.

A book consisting of the 101 cases, which can be copied and promoted in Africa according to Lin, was published on Wednesday in three languages: Chinese, English and French.

A rising export-oriented industry that has been driven by a Chinese-invested industrial park has made Ethiopia the best African destination for foreign direct investment, Lin said, adding that African countries were fully capable of participating in globalization with their own comparative advantages.