GUANGZHOU, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese modernization benefits Egypt and the world a lot, former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The achievement of Chinese modernization is rooted deeply in the key values of Chinese civilization -- harmony, peaceful coexistence and prosperity, said Sharaf on Monday during the 2024 Understanding China Conference held in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

This year's conference, on the theme of "Carry through the Reform to the End -- Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for World Development," has brought together over 600 participants, including politicians, officials, scholars, foreign envoys and media representatives.

Sharaf, who has paid more than 40 visits to China over the past two decades, said that he is really impressed by great changes in the country over these years.

"I can see the development not only in infrastructure and economy, but also the growing satisfaction of the Chinese people," he said.

"To achieve prosperity, there must be harmony and peace," Sharaf said, noting that these key values not only prompt Chinese modernization, but manifest themselves in the initiatives proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, namely the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

More important is the notion of building a community with a shared future for mankind, he added, calling it "a philosophical platform for world cooperation."

"The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the global initiatives are gifts of China to the world," he said.

Sharaf said that China has cooperated a lot with Egypt in infrastructure and energy as well as in building new communities.

He elaborated on a few successful examples of the Belt and Road projects, including the Central Business District in the new administrative capital of Egypt and the Benban Solar Park in Upper Egypt's Aswan Province. "China is doing a great job there," he said.

In Sharaf's view, further reform and high-level opening up are indispensable parts of Chinese modernization.

"You can see that the world is not at its best cases, since there are a lot of conflicts," he said, voicing his delight that China will continue its reform and opening up, because China's opening up helps a lot of countries, not least those in the Global South.

Thanks to China's high-level opening up, there has been a huge improvement in economic relations and people-to-people exchanges between China and Egypt in the last 10 years, Sharaf added.

"If China stops reform and opening up, it would be a great loss for the world," the former prime minister said. ■