Officials and delegations from China and African countries have gathered at a seminar being held in Beijing to discuss rural development and economic growth.

The seven-day seminar kicked off on Sunday, attracting representatives from China and 11 African countries to exchange views and experiences related to the seminar's theme of "agriculture and rural development."

Justin Lin Yifu, chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank, said at the seminar's opening ceremony that African countries should take cues from China's experience in creating a series of policies to bolster agricultural and rural development, as these policies have also facilitated the country's economic growth.

Hu Jinglin, assistant to China's Minister of Finance, said improved agricultural cooperation between China and Africa will help enhance global grain security.

China has worked on 142 cooperative agricultural projects with 14 African countries to date. In addition, it has sent 104 agricultural experts to 33 African countries to train more than 4,200 local agricultural technicians.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2011)