From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has said the just concluded state visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to China and his participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is to further advance China-Nigeria and China-Africa relations.
This was even as the Chinese envoy said the visit is of great significance to build on past successes.
The Chinese envoy, while briefing journalists in Abuja, also said from the Chinese perspective, recently, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened its third plenary session and decided to further deepen reform comprehensively and to promote national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.
Yu further said from the perspective of Nigeria, President Tinubu proposed the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Eight Priority Areas of Economic Recovery since he took office last year, in an effort to promote Nigeria’s social and economic development in an all-round manner.
Yu said: “In the international context, the world today is undergoing transformation and turmoil, and changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace. At this point of history, we all face the tasks of how to address the deficit in development, overcome security challenges and enhance mutual learning between civilizations.
“Against this background, President Tinubu’s visit to China is of great significance to build on past successes and to further advance China-Nigeria relations and China-Africa relations.”
On the significance of the visit, Yu said it opened a new era in bilateral relations.
“China attached great importance to President Tinubu’s visit and made special protocol arrangements. Leaders of all African countries with diplomatic relations with China, the UN Secretary-General and the chairperson of the AU Commission attended the summit. Among all those leaders, 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,” Yu also said.
The Chinese Envoy further said during the visit, President Xi Jinping held a grand welcoming ceremony for President Tinubu and 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. President 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 envoy added.
Yu also said the visit mapped out a new blueprint for China-Nigeria relations, opened up a new prospect for China-Nigeria practical cooperation and injected new impetus into the Global South solidarity.
On FOCAC, Yu said new and old friends of the China-Africa friendly family met again after six years.
He stated 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, thus opening up new horizons for China-Africa cooperation and starting a new journey for China-Africa relations.
“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,” Yu stated.
He disclosed that with the summit, China has entered into strategic partnerships with all African countries having diplomatic ties with China.
Yu also said the characterization of the overall China-Africa relations was elevated to an all-weather community with a shared future for the new era during the summit.
He added that a six-point proposition on China-Africa joint efforts to advance modernization was articulated and a blueprint was drawn up for China-Africa cooperation going forward.
Also speaking, the Director, Centre for China Studies (CCS), Charles Onunaiju, said the significance of President Tinubu’s visit to China was pivotal in the sense that it leads the way for several other important engagements.
