Companies from China and Africa have signed more than 40 deals worth over 18 billion US dollars.

The agreements were signed at the China-Africa Business Cooperation seminar on Thursday in Beijing, and just before a meeting on the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, or FOCAC.

More than 400 participants attending Thursday's seminar have discussed topics on China-Africa cooperation in industrial capacity, trade, and investment.

A Chinese official said the deals are closely related with Africa's industrialization and are significant to the continent's economic development.