China to help Africa recover from epidemic, improve competitiveness in global market: report

China will help Africa recover from the COVID-19 epidemic and improve its competitiveness in the global market, Russia's Sputnik news agency has reported.

"China emphasized that it is a reliable friend of Africa, and this has been confirmed in practice every time," Tatiana Deych, leading research fellow at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was quoted as saying.

"China's support for agricultural exports will help African countries reduce trade imbalances and reduce their dependence on export of raw materials to China. This will improve Africa's competitiveness in the world market," Deych added.

China has strengthened its credibility as a reliable partner of African countries and refuted rumors that slandered China-Africa cooperation, according to Sputnik.