NAIROBI, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A "five-no" approach in its relations with Africa showed China's long cherished commitment to be a real "friend in need" for Africa, a Kenyan expert said Wednesday.

Evaristus Irandu, an associate professor of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi, said this message reverberated not only in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, but also in the whole of the African continent and the world at large.

China announced at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Monday that it follows a "five-no" approach in its relations with Africa: no interference in the development paths of individual countries; no interference in their internal affairs; no imposition of China's will; no attachment of political strings regarding assistance; and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation.

Irandu said the message informed the African delegates that in China, Africa has a real friend and that "Chinese people want real and genuine change for the people of Africa in the years ahead."

He said the approach was "a re-assurance that Africa will not walk a lonely path." Africa can always count on the genuine support of the people of China, he said.

At the summit, China also pledged to implement eight major initiatives with African countries in the next three years and beyond, covering fields such as industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, and green development.

He said the initiatives emphasize that "China-Africa cooperation should and will be of mutual benefits for the people of China and the people of Africa."

Irandu stressed that the message delivered at the event was "a blue print for charting new ways and areas of China-Africa cooperation in a changing milieu of international cooperation."