RABAT - A senior Ethiopian official on Thursday urged African countries to build stronger cooperation ties with China.

Arkebe Oqubay, a minister and special advisor to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, made the remarks at the launching ceremony of his new book at the Rabat-based think-tank Policy Center for the New South.

Africa should learn the experience of China, a country destined to become the "best economy" in the world, Oqubay said, while presenting his book "China-Africa and an Economic Transformation."

Citing the close link between Africa and China, Oqubay urged African countries to take full advantage of the Chinese engagement in Africa, which he said could play "a catalytic role" in the continent's industrialization and structural transformation.