China could inject impetus into Africa's development, not only via economic cooperation but also by sharing the experiences of its successful poverty relief campaign, an expert said on Thursday.

David Monyae, director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, made the remark in a speech aired via video at the Vision China virtual event.

"More importantly, Africa has so much to learn from China on how to uplift the majority of Africans from poverty," he said.

"For Africa, in particular, this relationship is central, with China ranking highly among Africa's trade and investment partners, and with these figures growing by exponential rates at an average rate of 20 to 40 percent each year," he said.