Factbox: Highlights of China-Africa economic ties

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is on his first tour to Africa since taking office in 2013.[Special coverage]

During his visit, China and African countries are expected to sign cooperation agreements in a number of fields.

The following are some key statistics in the economic ties between China and Africa.

-- Trade between China and Africa reached 210.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, while the volume was just 250 million in 1965.

-- China has been the continent's largest trade partner for five consecutive years.

-- As of the end of 2013, China had directly invested over 25 billion U.S. dollars in Africa.

-- More than 2,500 Chinese enterprises are conducting business on the continent in sectors including finance, telecommunications, energy, manufacturing, and agriculture. These companies have created more than 100,000 jobs on the continent.

-- As of the end of 2013, Chinese enterprises had signed project contracts worth nearly 400 billion U.S. dollars. They have built over 2,200 kilometers of railway and 3,500 kilometers of highway.