Malian President Amadou Toumany Toure on Wednesday praised the existing cooperative relations between Africa and China as being close, friendly, sincere and mutually beneficial, adding that their ties served as a model for South-South cooperation.

The summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held in Beijing would definitely promote the implementation of new cooperative policies between Africa and China, he said in a written interview with Xinhua.

Expressing great hopes for the summit, Toure said he expected "the meeting between the Chinese and African leaders could further strengthen the cooperation, friendship and solidarity between China and Africa. "

The Chinese people had stood side by side with the Malian people in their fight for national independence, and their deep friendship had never changed over the 46 years since the two countries forged diplomatic ties, he said.

It was with China's support and assistance that Mali had managed to build its industrial bases, said the president, and China had never stopped being a genuine faithful supporter of Mali.

On the prospects of future Malian-China ties, Toure said China and Mali needed to work together for their continued development. He said he firmly believed that their bilateral relations had a bright future.