China and Nigeria Elevate Bilateral Ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
Beijing, The Gulf Observer: In a significant step toward strengthening bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced the elevation of China-Nigeria ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership on Tuesday. The announcement was made during President Tinubu’s state visit to Beijing, coinciding with the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
President Xi lauded Nigeria as a major African nation with substantial influence, a large population, and immense development potential. He emphasized that since the establishment of diplomatic relations over fifty years ago, China and Nigeria have consistently treated each other with mutual respect and equality. This approach, Xi noted, has paved the way for a unique partnership characterized by self-strength through unity and win-win cooperation.
In recent years, the two nations have successfully implemented several exemplary and strategic cooperation projects within the FOCAC framework, underscoring the depth of their partnership. President Xi affirmed that China’s ongoing comprehensive reforms and efforts to advance Chinese modernization would create new opportunities for enhancing China-Nigeria relations.
Xi called for joint efforts to achieve mutual modernization through high-quality cooperation, stressing the importance of enhancing strategic mutual trust. He urged both sides to view and develop bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, ensuring firm support for each other on matters of core interest and major concerns.
The Chinese President also highlighted the need to align development strategies, create a new pattern of pragmatic cooperation, and promote the integrated development of infrastructure, energy, minerals, and industries. He identified new growth areas for cooperation, including the digital economy and new energy, while expressing hope that Nigeria would continue to protect Chinese personnel and projects within its borders.
Xi emphasized the importance of strengthening people-to-people exchanges to enhance mutual understanding between the two nations. He also reiterated China’s support for Nigeria in combating terrorism, maintaining regional stability, and playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. Xi expressed China’s willingness to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation with Nigeria to jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries.
President Xi further underscored the significance of FOCAC, describing it as an effective mechanism for promoting practical cooperation between China and Africa and a symbol of South-South cooperation. He expressed China’s commitment to using the upcoming FOCAC Beijing summit as an opportunity to reflect on the historical experiences of China-Africa friendship, advance the building of a high-level China-Africa community of shared future, and inject new momentum into China-Africa relations in the new era.
President Tinubu, in response, expressed his pleasure at visiting China and thanked the Chinese side for the warm hospitality extended to him. He conveyed Nigeria’s aspiration to become China’s largest trade and investment partner in Africa, welcoming more Chinese enterprises to invest in Nigeria. Tinubu highlighted key sectors for cooperation, including agriculture, manufacturing, minerals and energy, and infrastructure, emphasizing Nigeria’s commitment to providing favorable security conditions to facilitate these investments.
Tinubu also acknowledged China’s valuable contributions in training Nigerian youth and expressed a desire to deepen people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. Reaffirming Nigeria’s adherence to the one-China policy, Tinubu stressed his country’s commitment to mutual support on issues of core interest and expressed his anticipation of working closely with China to ensure the success of the 2024 FOCAC summit.
