ADDIS ABABA -- Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has said that "significant and sustained" progress has been made in China-Africa ties.

"With China, significant and sustained progress has been made within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)," Mahamat said in an analysis of his first-term AU Commission chairmanship published on Tuesday.

He reiterated the AU Commission's strong commitment to upholding multilateralism and supporting international partners in halting the trend of unilateralism.

"Africa stands with those who fight unilateralism and strongly advocate for a multilateralism of respect, equality and mutual benefit," he said.

Last month, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira Elfadil also hailed China as a strategic partner of Africa.

"We are looking for those who are serious about the future of this continent, and when we say strategic partners and mention strategic partnerships, China comes first and we appreciate this partnership very much," Elfadil said.

Meanwhile, Mahamat warned in his analysis that global challenges, national egoism, the decline of multilateralism, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and dwindling resources "have hampered our forward march" during the past four years.

He said that if he is re-elected, renewing the AU Commission's strategic partnerships with bilateral and multilateral partners is one of the major aspirations.

"International cooperation and solidarity are irreplaceable," he said.