"Political parties and the government play significant roles in any nation's development endeavors to ensure maximum benefit to the people," Ethiopian Deputy Premier Demeke Mekonnen said in his opening speech at the two-day seminar.

"Solid cooperation and partnership between African political parties and the CPC has been consolidated through time with a number of experiences shared in many fields," added Mekonnen, who also serves as vice-chairman of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.

"Both China and Africa can benefit from cooperation and party-to-party engagements," he stressed.

For his part, Philip Japhet Mangula, a representative of Tanzania's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, voiced hope that cooperation with China's CPC would help drive Tanzania's development efforts forward.

"Our dialogue with the CPC is in line with the common interest [of both countries]," Mangula said. "The CPC has a long and historic experience to share with us."

The seminar comes a few days after China and the African Union signed an agreement to cooperate in the fields of aviation, railways, road construction and industry.