By Citizenship Daily
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Yu Dunhai has characterised the recent attendance of Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the 2024 Summit of the Forum of China and Africa Cooperation, FOCAC, in China as phenomenal.
Ambassador Dunhai said while listing the gains of Tinubu’s visit to China between September 1-6 that they will broaden the frontiers of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Tinubu was accompanied by ministers, state governors and key entrepreneurs to the Summit.
Dunhai spoke a press conference at the Chinese Embassy in Abuja at the weekend.
He said Tinubu’s visit will build on past successes and further advance Nigeria-China relations.
“First, the visit opens a new era in our bilateral relations…President Tinubu was among the very few to be accorded a state visit, which fully reflects China’s high respect for President Tinubu, Nigerian people, the great importance China attaches to Nigeria as a major country, and China’s political commitment to developing bilateral relations and strengthening friendship between our two countries,” the Ambassador said.
He said that during the visit, President Xi Jinping held a grand welcoming ceremony for President Tinubu, while the two presidents held bilateral talks and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents.
“Premier Li Qiang met with President Tinubu and hosted a banquet for him,” he said, and that Tinubu addressed the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Summit as the rotating Chairman of ECOWAS, and delivered a speech at the high-level Conference on Peace and Security.
“He also led a delegation to visit some world-renowned Chinese companies operating in Nigeria such as Huawei and CRCC,” the Ambassador said of the visit.
“During the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Tinubu, the two presidents agreed to upgrade China-Nigeria relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” he added, and further described it as a very important promotion for China-Nigeria relations after the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2005.
Bilateral relations between Nigeria and China has now entered a new era of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said.
According to the Ambassador, President Xi Jinping spoke highly of Nigeria’s status as a major country, and that President Xi pointed out that China and Nigeria have shown great respect to each other, treated each other as equals, sought strength through unity, and pursued win-win cooperation.
Ambassasor Dunhai noted that President Xi believes that China supports Nigeria in combating terrorism, maintaining regional stability and playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. China, he said, is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Nigeria in multilateral affairs, and jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries.
On the position of President Tinubu, Dunhai said Nigeria’s President expressed appreciation for China’s warm reception, and fully agreed with President Xi Jinping’s remarks on China-Nigeria relations.
According to Dunhai, Tinubu was of the view that the bilateral cooperation has boosted Nigeria’s economic growth, and Nigeria hopes to become China’s largest trade and investment partner in Africa.
“Nigeria welcomes more Chinese companies to invest in Nigeria and contribute to the modernization of Nigeria and West Africa. Nigeria is grateful for the important training opportunities China provides for the youth in Nigeria, and is willing to deepen people-to-people exchanges with China,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
President Tinubu, Dunhai recalled, had reiterated that Nigeria firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and will continue to work with China to support each other on issues related to their respective core interests.
“The meeting between the two heads of state has comprehensively reviewed the relations between China and Nigeria and set the tone for the future development of bilateral cooperation, which will provide political guidance for our bilateral relations for years to come,” Ambassador Dunhai said.
“After the meeting, our heads of state jointly issued the Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Building a High-level China-Nigeria Community with a Shared Future. Focusing on four aspects, covering high-level strategic mutual trust, high-level development cooperation, high-level security mutual assistance, and high-level mutual understanding, the Joint Statement comprehensively elaborates on the essence of establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries and building a high-level China-Nigeria community with a shared future, and maps out the blueprint for the future development of China-Nigeria relations.
“According to the Joint Statement, the two sides will firmly support each other on issues related to their respective core interests and major concerns, particularly sovereignty and territorial integrity. Nigeria appreciates Chinese modernization, and China appreciates the efforts of Nigeria in enhancing regional peace and solidarity and promoting regional integration. Both countries are dedicated to facilitating synergies between the high quality Belt and Road cooperation and FOCAC conference outcomes, with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Eight Priority Areas, and jointly promoting high-quality, practical cooperation in an all-around manner. Nigeria applauds and supports the vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) proposed by China. Both sides pledge to support each other’s efforts in international affairs, including the UN, the G20 and BRICS. Both sides agree that human rights, including the right to development, are a common cause for all humanity and oppose the politicisation of human rights issues, i.e. the interference in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. The two sides will strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and advocate an equal, orderly multi-polar world and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all. The two sides will jointly uphold peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, the common values of humanity, and commit to a new approach to international relations focusing on win-win cooperation. The two sides will enhance high-level mutual learning, and continue to explore the advantages of respective diversified cultures and ancient histories.”
Ambassador Dunhai also said that the Joint Statement elaborated on Nigeria’s position on the Taiwan question in an all-round and comprehensive manner, stating that the Nigerian side firmly adheres to the one-China principle, acknowledges that there is but one China in the world, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.
Nigeria, he said, opposes any form of “Taiwan Independence” or interference in the internal affairs of China and firmly supports all efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification.
He said the visit opened up a new prospect for China-Nigeria practical cooperation.
“During President Tinubu’s visit, the relevant government departments of the two sides signed a total of 13 cooperation documents, covering such areas as high-quality Belt and Road cooperation planning, the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, economic growth, human resources, application of the Beidou Satellite Navigation System, export of peanuts to China, and the media exchanges.
“Among them, one bilateral cooperation document covers around 19 projects that China and Nigeria are cooperating and intend to cooperate with. In addition, multiple cooperation agreements were signed between relevant departments, state governments and Chinese companies during the visit.
He said China welcomes the expansion of bilateral trade and supports the import of more quality products from Nigeria into its market, and that Nigeria is willing to strengthen its partnership with China in the development of energy, mineral resources and to work with Chinese companies to set up plants in Nigeria to meet local consumption and export needs.
“The two countries will jointly explore cooperation in areas such as digital economy, green development, blue economy and agricultural modernization, and foster new growth drivers in cooperation.
“The two sides agree to deepen cooperation on the infrastructure connectivity between the two countries. China proactively supports Nigeria in developing its domestic infrastructure construction, including transportation, ports and free trade zones, towards achieving integrated development of industries.
“The two sides encourage flexible and diverse regional monetary and financial cooperation such as local currency swaps, to facilitate trade between China and Nigeria and make contributions to global financial stability.
“The two countries agree to carry out international cooperation on financial intelligence on anti-monetary laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).
“The two countries will strengthen the coordination of development strategies, and open up a new prospect for pragmatic cooperation featuring complementary advantages and mutual benefits. Under the overall coordination of the China-Nigeria Intergovernmental Committee, we will carry out more and deeper cooperation and exchanges in various fields, so as to make more contributions to Nigeria’s social and economic development, and ensure our pragmatic cooperation benefit our two peoples in a better way.
Dunhai listed that the visit injected new impetus into the Global South solidarity.
“During the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Tinubu, both leaders agreed that standing at a new historical point, China and Nigeria, as important representatives of major developing countries and emerging economies, have been strengthening their strategic coordination, and it will inject new impetus into the China-Africa relations in the new era, and lead the way for Global South cooperation.
“China is the world’s largest developing country and the world’s second largest economy, while Nigeria is the most populous country and a major economy in Africa. Both countries are important members of the Global South and important forces in promoting world peace and development, Dunhai said, and that during the visit, President Xi Jinping proposed that China is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation with Nigeria, to work together to safeguard the interests of developing countries, and to uphold international equity and justice.
“President Tinubu said that China is consistently committed to promoting peace, stability and development in Africa, which is highly appreciated by African countries. Africa is willing to work closely with China to usher in a bright future for Africa-China cooperation.
“As important members of the Global South, the strengthened friendship and cooperation between China and Nigeria will not only play a leading role in south-south cooperation, enhance Global South countries’ willingness to strengthen south-south cooperation and jointly realize modernization, but also further strengthen developing countries through unity in international affairs, and join hands to safeguard the common interests of the Global South countries.
“Going forward, we will work closely with all sectors of Nigeria to implement the important consensus reached by our two heads of states, and ensure that we translate the important consensus into concrete actions, in order to push forward the upgrading of bilateral cooperation, and bring more benefits to our two peoples,” Dunhai said.
On the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperatio, he said new and old friends of the China-Africa friendly family met again after 6 years, and that leaders of all 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with China attended the Summit, as well as the UN Secretary-General, the Chairperson of the AU Commission and representatives from more than 30 international and African regional organizations.
“During the Summit, under the theme of ‘Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,’ the two sides took stock of the journey of China-Africa friendship, commended the progress made in implementing the outcomes of FOCAC, and reached a clear political consensus on strengthening cooperation across the board. Two important documents, the Beijing Declaration and the Action Plan, were adopted unanimously.
“All parties agree that the Summit is a full success with main outcomes in the following four aspects:
“First, China has entered into strategic partnerships with all African countries having diplomatic ties with China. During the Summit, China established or elevated its strategic partnerships with a total of 30 countries. China and 53 African strategic partners, standing shoulder to shoulder, will play a greater role in improving the well-being of the Chinese and African people, and safeguarding world peace and stability.
“Second, the characterization of the overall China-Africa relations was elevated to an all-weather community with a shared future for the new era. Thanks to nearly 70 years of concerted efforts, the China-Africa relationship is now at its best in history. From a new type of partnership to a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, and to an all-weather community with a shared future for the new era, the China-Africa relationship has kept reaching new heights, with clearer characterization and greater substance.
“Third, a six-point proposition on China-Africa joint efforts to advance modernization was articulated. Realizing modernization is the legitimate and inalienable right of developing countries.
“Fourth, a blueprint was drawn up for China-Africa cooperation going forward. The summit adopted the Beijing Declaration and Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027). President Xi Jinping announced ten partnership actions that China would take with Africa to advance modernization in the next three years:.
First, the Partnership Action for Mutual Learning among Civilizations. China is ready to work with Africa to build a platform for governance experience sharing, a China-Africa knowledge network for development, and 25 centers on China and Africa studies. China will invite 1,000 members of African political parties to China for exchanges.
Second, the Partnership Action for Trade Prosperity. China will voluntarily and unilaterally open its market wider. China has decided to give all LDCs having diplomatic relations with China, including 33 countries in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. It will help turn China’s big market into Africa’s big opportunity.
Third, the Partnership Action for Industrial Chain Cooperation. China will push forward the Pilot Zone for In-depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation, and launch an “African SMEs empowerment program”. China will build with Africa a digital technology cooperation center.
Fourth, the Partnership Action for Connectivity. China is prepared to put in place a China-Africa network featuring land-sea links and coordinated development for the benefit of trans-regional development in Africa.
Fifth, the Partnership Action for Development Cooperation. China is ready to implement 1,000 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and deliver more fruits of development to the two peoples.
Sixth, the Partnership Action for Health. China is ready to establish with Africa a hospitals alliance and joint medical centers. China will send 2,000 medical personnel to Africa, and support the development of the Africa Centers for Disease Control.
Seventh, the Partnership Action for Agriculture and Livelihoods. China will provide Africa with RMB1 billion yuan in emergency food assistance, build 100,000 mu (about 6,670 hectares) of standardized agriculture demonstration areas in Africa, and create at least one million jobs for Africa.
Eighth, the Partnership Action for People-to-People Exchanges. China will implement with Africa more solidly the Future of Africa—Vocational Education Cooperation Plan and provide 60,000 training opportunities to Africa. 2026 is designated as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
Ninth, the Partnership Action for Green Development. China is ready to launch 30 clean energy projects in Africa and collaborate on satellite remote sensing and lunar and deep-space exploration.
Tenth, the Partnership Action for Common Security. The Chinese side is ready to build with Africa a partnership for implementing the GSI, provide training for 6,000 military personnel and 1,000 police and law enforcement officers from Africa, and invite 500 young African military officers to visit China. The two sides will conduct joint military exercises, training and patrol, carry out an “action for a mine-free Africa”, and jointly ensure the safety of personnel and projects.
He said also that the two sides agreed to firmly support each other on issues involving their respective core interests, defend the common interests of developing countries, and promote international fairness and justice.
He added that the two sides agreed to follow true multilateralism, implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and champion an equal and orderly multi-polar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
According to Dunhai, the two sides agreed to reject “small yard, high fence,” oppose discrimination and prejudice, redress historical injustices, and ensure that all will benefit from the modernization process.
He noted that the fruitful results of the summit have aroused warm response and widespread resonance, and that the international community highly praised the summit, believing that FOCAC has become an important platform for the Chinese and African people to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results and practice the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
