Beijing - China will encourage investment and increase cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing with Mozambique for the development of the East African nation, President Hu Jintao said in a meeting with his Mozambican counterpart on Wednesday.

Hu said China attaches great importance to developing the Sino-Mozambican relationship, and he proposed four areas to deepen bilateral cooperation - mutual political trust, pragmatic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and in international organizations.

Chinese President Hu Jintao welcomes Mozambique's President Armando Emilio Guebuza in Beijing, August 10, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will push ahead with existing projects, introduce new ones and ensure all are completed safely, efficiently and with high quality, Hu told Mozambique's President Armando Emilio Guebuza, who has been on a state visit to China since Tuesday.

In line with Mozambique's national development plan, China will encourage and support qualified Chinese enterprises to invest in the African nation and increase cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing to make a greater contribution to the country's development, Hu said.

Seeing China as an important partner, Mozambique is intent on enhancing pragmatic cooperation in areas including economy and trade, agriculture, fishery, science and technology, environmental protection, infrastructure, health, education and human resources, Guebuza said.

After their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of various bilateral cooperative agreements.

Hu expressed deep concern about the famine caused by severe drought in the Horn of Africa, for which China has provided aid.

According to the Foreign Ministry, China will offer $14 million in emergency grain relief to the famine-afflicted countries.

"As a friend of Africa's, China highly values its concerns and interests, supports its economic and social development and its efforts to safeguard its legitimate rights in the international arena," Hu said.

China supports the efforts of African countries to peacefully resolve domestic issues through dialogue and consultation, he said.

"China is ready to work with African countries to improve the operation of the China-Africa Forum and deepen the strategic partnership between China and Africa," Hu said.

Guebuza said China and Africa share a deep-rooted and time-honored friendship.

Mozambique and other African countries appreciate China's "long-term, selfless help to Africa's economic and social development, and its actively safeguarding of Africa's rights and interests in international affairs", he said.

Africa is willing to continuously enhance the new type of Sino-African strategic partnership with China, Guebuza said.

Later in the day, Guebuza met with Premier Wen Jiabao and top legislator Wu Bangguo. He will later travel to Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong province, to attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Universiade on Friday, and visit Central China's Henan province, wrapping up his visit on Monday.

Bilateral trade volume was nearly $700 million in 2010, a year-on-year increase of 35 percent, according to statistics on the Foreign Ministry's website.