ADDIS ABABA, May 6 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Tuesday that economic and cultural cooperation are two important "wheels" of China-Africa cooperation.

At a forum meeting with African business leaders and representatives from the education and art community, Li said economic and trade, together with people-to-people and cultural cooperation between China and Africa, are "the two indispensable wheels" of their overall cooperation.

"It is the 'bearings' of development that well connect the two 'wheels'," he added.

The Chinese premier stressed the need to let these two wheels drive the China-Africa cooperation into the fast track of development, so that each side can grow further in a better and more stable way.

China and Africa, said Li, have a total population of 2.3 billion, with one of them a promising developing country, and the other a hopeful continent.

China and Africa view each other as a vast opportunity for their own development, and have enjoyed close cooperation in various fields, he said.

On economy, the Chinese premier noted that since employment is a basic need for Africa to improve the living standards of its people, and that China and Africa are mutually complementary at this stage of development, China is ready to transfer the industries best suitable for Africa, especially the labor-intensive ones, so as to create more jobs in the continent.

In addition, China is also ready to share its technology and experience without any reservation with Africa, make greater contribution to poverty reduction and development, encourage more enterprises to participate in Africa's infrastructure construction, and strengthen cooperation in economy and trade, Li told the forum.

Meanwhile, China is ready to increase its cooperation with Africa in training, research and development, and to promote people-to-people and technological exchanges, so that the two ancient civilizations will have a more splendid future in learning from each other, said the premier.

Thirty African representatives from China, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana and Djibouti participated in the forum.

Li arrived here on Sunday for a visit to the East African nation and the headquarters of the African Union based in the Ethiopian capital.

The Chinese premier will also visit Nigeria, Angola and Kenya during his four-nation Africa tour.