Africa-China cooperation benefits as both sides have similar characteristics, which have proved able to turn a poor nation into a successful developing giant, according to the director of Senegalese News Agency, Mamadou Koume.

Kooume, who participated the just-ended world media summit in Beijing, told Xinhua in a recent interview that African countries are encouraged by China's success in development from poverty.

He expressed shock at the world media summit held in Beijing in October, where he said his first observation was that the West came in big numbers.

There was the Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch. There were big television networks like CNN and BBC. They were present because they knew that the future of the world is being in China, he said.

"Even us, the African media, we were very delighted because of this meeting. China is a great country, she has a big market and a huge human resource. She is a country with a lot of characteristics that resemble those of Africa," Koume noted.

That is something that is worth pondering about, he said.

"During this world forum, the Chinese were interested in what was going to happen in the future. They did not want to be left behind. They wished to be present and on time. That is why they chose to center the reflections of this meeting around the challenges of globalization and the new information and communication technologies," said Koume.

He expressed confidence that "with this kind of exchanges, we are also going to make our journalists more competent."

Koume expressed appreciation of the African-Sino partnership on equal footing.

"We Africans, have a lot to learn from the Chinese. About 40 years ago, we were almost at the same level and today, China is in the pack of the world's biggest economies. We are behind. Why did China get to this level? It's because of a people with great potential and human resource. She greatly valued her people. We have a lot to learn on that end," he said.

"In Africa, we have always cooperated with the West. We have not progressed much. We have received aid from the West and donations from International financial institutions, which was always accompanied by many conditionality and diktats, whereas China has decided to take her own route," Koume told Xinhua.

"The type of relations that we are seeing developed with China is totally different. I think that this relation is based on the "win-win" situation, which means that everyone gets something in the relationship," he said.

Koume hailed the quick development of partnership with China in Africa since Chinese President Hu Jintao outlined eight commitments to Africa.

"I think that China has greatly invested in Africa in the last decade. In the area of cooperation, people say that the Chinese are constructing theatres, conference centers, stadiums etc.," he said, adding the Chinese have projects like stadium in Senegal as well.

"Everything is there to be seen, it's now upon us to go ahead and get the lessons. This cooperation with Africa is totally beneficial for us. But there are always controversies in certain quarters," he admitted.

The West-controlled media "say bad things about China. I think some of them are driven by jealousy. This is because China has taken the first position and is very dynamic in her relations particularly with the African continent. The West is feeling jealousy because China has come to compete with them in Africa. And we, the African, feel like the forms of cooperation that is being done by the Chinese, will give us a lot of autonomy," Koume said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2009)