LOME, Togo / LIBREVILLE, Gabon - Togolese Foreign Minister Elliot Ohin praised the Sino-African partnership as the best example of the "South-South cooperation" in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on Sunday.

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"Sino-African ties have been highly improved through the institutionalization of the Sino-African Cooperation Forum and all plans under this framework have been fully implemented," Ohin said.

He also called for the strengthening of cooperation between Togo and China.

China has offered Togo significant aid by granting loans and forgiving its debts, said Ohin.

In financial sector, China and Togo have signed 23 agreements and the total amount of aid and preferential loans from China reached $240 million, according to Ohin.

He called on China to keep investing in Africa in general, and particularly in Togo in sectors such as agriculture and mining, stressing the need for the two countries to work together to promote more balanced trade which will bring shared prosperity.

"We equally hope that China will progressively start transferring new technologies that are relevant to us," Ohin said.

Ohin's interview came as Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is touring Africa from Feb 9 to 17, with stops in nations including Togo, Zimbabwe, Chad, Guinea and Gabon.

On Saturday, Yang met Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba and they pledged closer trade, economic and infrastructure cooperation.

Gabon highly values its traditional friendship with China, a country that has long offered firm support to Africa, the Gabonese president said.

Gabon believes China's development will bring opportunities to the African nation and there is a great potential for bilateral trade and economic cooperation, he said.

The president also expressed the hope that Gabon could enhance cooperation with China in such fields as infrastructure construction and power grid upgrading, and Chinese enterprises are encouraged to do business in Gabon.

Yang spoke highly of the development of Sino-Gabonese relations, citing frequent high-level exchanges, an increasing bilateral trade volume and cultural exchanges.

He urged the two countries to keep the current momentum of high-level contact and enhance mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

Yang also met his Gabonese counterpart Paul Toungui.

China Daily - Xinhua