AFOLABI SAHEED OLAWALE
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, PhD, received the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Nigeria, H.E. Yu Dunhai, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, on Thursday, for discussions on the state of Nigeria-China relations and opportunities for further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The meeting focused on trade and investment, economic development, security, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, digital technology and other areas of mutual interest.
During the meeting, Ambassador Yu highlighted recent positive developments in bilateral economic relations, particularly the opportunity for Nigerian products to access the Chinese market under the zero-tariff policy.
He noted that the arrangement would create new opportunities for Nigerian manufacturers and exporters, including producers of plastic products, to expand into the Chinese market. He further disclosed that the Chinese Government had decided to provide a RMB 200 million grant, approximately US$3.3 million, to support projects to be jointly identified and implemented by both sides.
The Permanent Secretary expressed appreciation for China’s continued support to Nigeria and Africa and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to further deepening the Nigeria-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
He emphasised the importance of translating the strong political relationship between both countries into tangible economic benefits through increased trade and investment, technology transfer and mutually beneficial development projects.
He further reaffirmed Nigeria’s adherence to the One-China Policy and stressed the importance of expanding economic cooperation in agriculture, digital technology, mining and renewable energy.
He encouraged increased Chinese investment in Nigeria’s Special Economic Zones as a means of promoting industrialisation, value addition and the development of local manufacturing capacity.