BEIJING - China said Thursday that countries should fully respect the will of African countries and their peoples in their efforts to cooperate with and invest in African countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing.

"It's a good thing that the international community cares about and attaches importance to Africa," Jiang said.

"The international community should fully respect the will of African nations and their peoples and help these countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at an early date," she said. The MDGs are a set of eight anti-poverty objectives designated by the United Nations.

In response to a question about whether China and India are competing on the African continent, Jiang said China supports all forms of south-south cooperation among developing countries.

"China and India are partners, rather than competitors," she added.

"As China has cooperated with Africa over the past years, we have stuck to a principle of sincerity, friendliness, equality, mutually-beneficial cooperation and common development," Jiang said.

In 2010, China invested $59 billion in 129 countries and regions, according to a survey report released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) last month.

Out of all of the Chinese companies that invested abroad in 2010, 22 percent invested in Africa, the report said.

China's investments have gone to 49 African countries and covered a wide range of industries, including mining, manufacturing, construction, agriculture and forestry.

"Expanded cooperation between China and Africa has also spurred other countries to invest in and cooperate with Africa, which has greatly advanced the continent's economic and social development and been widely welcomed by African countries," she added.