Trade with Africa will double by 2020, Li Keqiang tells Ethiopia conference
Visiting premier predicts volume will rise to US$400 billion by 2020
Trade volume with Africa will double by 2020, Premier Li Keqiang told the African Union at the start of his week-long visit to the continent.
Chinese direct investment was also expected to quadruple to US$100 billion within that time, Li said in a speech delivered at the union's Chinese-built headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
But the deeper economic partnership should broaden beyond its current focus, he said.
China will never pursue a colonial path like some countries did
"The collaboration must not be limited to energy and infrastructure but expanded to industrialisation, urbanisation, the modernisation of agriculture, with more attention given to green, low-carbon development and environmental protection," Li said.
Sixty deals are expected to be signed during Li's visit, which also includes stops in Nigeria, Angola and Kenya. His wife, Cheng Hong , is accompanying him on the trip.
Watch: AU welcomes China's premier Li Keqiang