BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The world should listen to Africa, heed its concerns, and support it in exploring a new development path of self-reliance and self-strengthening, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

There will be no global modernization without African modernization, and the stability and development of Africa is vital to the future of humanity, Wang told a press conference held on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the national legislature.

China and Africa are always good friends, good partners and good brothers with a shared future, Wang said, noting that the China-Africa relationship is now at its best in history.

China has established strategic partnerships with all African countries having diplomatic ties with it, and the China-Africa community with a shared future has been elevated to an "all-weather" level, he said.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Over the past 25 years, China has helped Africa build or upgrade nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads and more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, Wang said, adding that in the past three years alone, Chinese enterprises created more than 1.1 million new jobs in Africa.

Noting that China has remained Africa's largest trade partner for 16 consecutive years, Wang said China-Africa cooperation is "visible, tangible and truly beneficial" to African people. ■