China should help Africa to achieve prosperity through the Belt and Road Initiative, experts said in a forum on Africa in Beijing.

Xu Weizhong, executive director at the Institute of African Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that China's Belt and Road Strategy connects the Europe and Asia continents, and Western Pacific countries, and countries around Indian Ocean, but essentially it is open to the world.

He said China and Africa's cooperation could play the role of rehearsal for the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Considering that Africa's population has grown quickly, and Africa now is undergoing rapid urbanization and economic development, it is now a good time for China-Africa cooperation," he said. China has great potential in its investment in Africa in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, etc.

Kang Rongping, director of the center for world Chinese businesses under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China could use the Belt and Road Initiative to help Africa realize prosperity and industrialization. They could start cooperation in professional training of government officials.

The forum, named Belt and Road Investment Opportunities and Challenges, was hosted by a leading think tank, the Center for China Globalization, in Beijing recently.

Contact the writer at chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn