President Bola Tinubu and the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, declared in Beijing, China, that Nigeria-China relations have been raised to a comprehensive strategic partnership level.
They decided to create a strong Nigeria-China community with a connected future during their meeting at the Great Hall in Central Beijing. The two leaders were joined by their aides and cabinet Ministers before President Tinubu inspected a guard of honour and Chinese children waved Nigerian flags, which made President Tinubu very happy. The relationship between the two countries improved as a result of discussions between the leaders when President Tinubu visited China. The Nigerian President’s visit happened before he attended the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which was set to take place from Wednesday, September 4 to Friday, September 6, 2024. During his speech at the bilateral talks, President Tinubu mentioned that his visit to China is important for Nigeria and Africa. He thanked China for the honor given to him as the Chairman of ECOWAS. President Tinubu stated that the relationship between China and Nigeria has been strong for over 50 years and should be improved to boost trade and economic development.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s potential as the country with the largest population in Africa, a strong economy, and a young population that can drive economic growth and various programs. We have taken our relationship to the next level by turning it into a comprehensive development partnership, not just a strategic one. This strong partnership will bring about progress, peace, and safety in West Africa. This is extremely important. During a discussion about economic changes in Nigeria, President Tinubu assured his Chinese counterpart that his government is dedicated to achieving lasting growth by carrying out current economic reforms successfully. He mentioned, “We see how President Xi has improved the Chinese economy, and our reform plan in Nigeria is following a similar path. I have a history of being a reformer with proven results.” We understand the importance of improving our economy, and we are working hard to make changes in areas like taxes and tariffs and other parts of our country’s economy. Our goal is to make it simple for our trading and investment partners to invest in our country and easily remove their resources.
Trading and investment partners can easily bring in their investments and smoothly take out their resources. President Xi mentioned the good mutual understanding between Nigeria and China since they became diplomatic partners 50 years ago. He said they have chosen to work together, unite, and cooperate for mutual benefit.
President Jinping said that China and Nigeria, both important developing countries, will work together closely to improve their strategic coordination. This will help enhance China-Africa relations and lead to progress for other countries in the Global South. The Chinese leader mentioned that the 2024 FOCAC Summit is a chance to strengthen friendships and further develop China-Africa relations. He promised that China and Nigeria will keep cooperating within the FOCAC framework as an example for other nations to follow. At the meeting, the two presidents saw the signing of a few agreements on topics they both care about. These include a plan for Nigeria and China to work together on the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as an agreement to cooperate on using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Agreement to work together on improving human resource development as part of the Global Development Initiative, agreement to exchange and cooperate on media, and agreement between China Media Group and the Nigerian Television Authority. After the meeting, President Tinubu went to the Beijing cenotaph near the Great Hall. There, he placed a wreath for the fallen heroes and heard the Nigerian national anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee,” sung by Chinese soldiers. Earlier that Monday, the President visited the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) in Beijing. He praised the company for being a reliable partner in Nigeria’s infrastructure development program and for their ongoing railway projects in the country.
President Tinubu emphasized the importance of assuring the Nigerian people that the Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano railway segments will be completed to their satisfaction and benefit West Africa as a whole. “We are ready to help with your investment in solid minerals and other projects in Nigeria. Nigeria is prepared to work with you,” the President told the Chairman of CRCC, Mr. Dai Hegen, after visiting the CRCC and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) office in Beijing.
Hegen told the President that CRCC has been working in Nigeria for 43 years. They have completed more than 300 projects and trained over 100,000 local workers. Hegen mentioned that the Abuja-Kaduna Railway and Lagos-Ibadan Railway have carried around nine million passengers and 180 tonnes of cargo. The Lagos blue line has also transported over 1.6 million passengers. President Tinubu visited Huawei Technologies’ Beijing Research Centre on Monday. The company announced the launch of DigiTruck, a mobile ICT classroom to help improve digital literacy in Nigerian communities that lack resources. During the meeting with Huawei’s leadership, led by Mr. Liang Hua, Chairman of the Board of Directors, they mentioned that the initiative will run in 10 states each year, training at least 3,000 students annually. Huawei’s leadership recognized Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy for their efforts in training three million technical talents and preparing young people for current and future economic opportunities. They stated that the DigiTruck project will support this program. Hua complimented the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for recognizing digital technology as an important factor in boosting the economy. “This is great news for us.
Huawei is ready to share its knowledge in ICT and work closely with the Nigerian government to help the country reach its goals in digital, smart, and eco-friendly development.” Mr. Chris Lu, Huawei Nigeria’s CEO, expressed his support for Nigeria’s National Talent Export Programme (NATEP). He mentioned plans to improve the NOC and make it able to serve more African markets. This will help Nigerian tech talents work in other countries and support NATEP’s goal. President Tinubu and his team visited Huawei’s Research Centre. They saw new technologies like e-government, smart education, smart grid, and solar power. These innovations can improve public services, digital governance, and Nigeria’s development plans. To help reach these goals, Huawei will work with Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency to create a shared PV test lab.
