CONAKRY, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Professor Pascal Boniface, founder and director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), said China has brought more development opportunities to African countries.

"The presence of China has allowed African countries to have options they did not have before," said Boniface in an interview with Xinhua Thursday in Guinean capital Conakry.

China is "becoming a major actor in Africa," he said, adding that there was a kind of monopoly by Western countries in Africa and the monopoly was broken by the presence of China, Brazil and Japan.

Boniface said China's investments in Africa involve many positive aspects, including the construction of infrastructure, stadiums, and so on.

China's Belt and Road Initiative also offers Africa a bright prospect, he added.

Boniface highlighted China's important role in BRICS (the group of five emerging countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as well as in other international organizations.

African countries are carrying out cooperation with China while maintaining cooperation with other Western and emerging countries such as Brazil, he added.

"African countries need to have several partners," said Boniface.?