Liberian foreign minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has announced that China will build a new coastal highway.

Speaking at a news conference with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi who is visiting Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the countries hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic.

Most of Liberia's existing coastal route is unpaved, but is a vital for commerce as the country rebuilds after a civil war that ended in 2003, Reuters reports.

The road connects the capital to the border with Ivory Coast via the port city of Buchanan, through which iron and timber are exported.

China will use its global fund for Africa to finance the project and seek partners, said Mr Ngafuan.

"China is open to cooperation in all areas and we know that Liberia is attracting investments from all countries around the world. We know about the historic ties between Liberia and US but China has its own strength," Mr Wang said.