China will make more efforts to help African countries develop their textile industry in order to offset the effects of cheap Chinese imports, said an official with the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.

During a briefing on the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Zhou Yabin, director of the ministry's West Asia and North Africa Department, admitted that the exports of Chinese textile products have had a negative impact on Africa's textile exports.

The Chinese government hopes to fund training programs to enhance the competitiveness of African products, Zhou said.

China has helped some African countries, such as Tanzania and Zambia, set up textile factories, which have provided jobs to locals and also enhanced the development of these countries, he said.

But some news media said Chinese textile exports were affecting their African counterparts on the world market.

"Though the two sides are facing problems, Zhou said, I believe the two sides can work together and China is willing to help Africans improve the competitiveness of their textile products," Zhou said.

China's textile exports have increased since the quota of textile products was cancelled at the beginning of 2005, he said.

But they have not "terribly" increased as some media reports claim, Zhou added.

FOCAC is a mechanism for collective dialogue and cooperation jointly established by China and Africa to cope with new challenges and facilitate common development.

Since the launch of the FOCAC in 2000, two ministerial conferences have been held in Beijing and Addis Ababa.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2006)