China to beef up investment in Africa

In 2012, about 60,000 Chinese nationals visited Kenya, Wei said, suggesting the huge boom China may bring to African tourism.

In the past decade, trade between China and Africa rose by a year-on-year average of 22 percent and reached $200 billion in 2012, he said.

"Growing at such a speed, I believe Africa will replace the European Union to become China's largest trading partner."

To facilitate the cooperation, Wei suggested China train more professionals for Africa. Beijing has already trained more than 60,000 people from Africa.

He also talked about the possibility of China setting up a free trade area with Africa.

Lin Yifu, former World Bank chief economist, said the trend of Chinese manufacturers moving abroad will bring opportunities for Africa.

"In the 1960s when Japan rose, the Japanese moved labor-intensive industries to the four Asian Tigers and helped them realize industrialization," Lin said, referring to Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore, four economies that grew rapidly at that time.

In the 1980s, the "tigers" copied the process and moved industries to the Chinese mainland. Now it is Beijing's turn, Lin said.

Japan moved 8.7 million jobs abroad, while the four tigers transferred about 7 million in total. For China, the figure could be 80 million, he noted.

"China will offer many jobs in Africa to facilitate Africa's rapid transition to becoming an industrialized continent. The process might be completed in two to three decades."