The west African country of Sierra Leone has sought China's help to enable it establish an economic zone.

The call was made be acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ebun Jusu, on the National Day reception held by the Chinese embassy to mark the 64th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xinhua reported Friday.

He said this (economic zone) could be a significant base for industrial manufacturing. "We want to tap deeper into the Chinese policy for Africa and become the economic hub for Chinese private and public sector investments in the sub-region."

The minister emphasised that China is the world's second largest economy and continues to maintain an impressive growth rate, holding confidence that excellent relations between the two countries and peoples spanning four decades will continue to grow.

In response, Chinese Ambassador Kuang Weilin said cooperation between the two countries is deepening and bilateral trade volume from January to July hit $884 million, up from $752 million a year ago.