Nigeria and China on Wednesday in Abuja reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral relations between them.
Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman, said this in a statement following a courtesy visit to his office on Wednesday in Abuja by the Chinese Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mr Zhou Hongyou.
Ebienfa said both sides reaffirmed at the meeting the shared commitment of Nigeria and China toward deepening diplomatic engagement, enhancing institutional cooperation and expanding people-to-people exchanges for mutual benefit.
He said that they also underscored the depth of Nigeria-China relations, while emphasizing the need to advance cooperation between the two countries in trade, infrastructure development, and strategic partnership.
Ebienfa said that Zhou described Nigeria as one of China’s most significant partners in Africa, with visible Chinese-supported projects across various sectors of the Nigerian economy.
He said the meeting focused on promoting reciprocal visits, study tours and exposure programmes to enhance mutual understanding.
These, he said, would include short-term and specialised training programmes in governance, administration, strategic communication and public diplomacy.
“Reference was made to training initiatives coordinated by Chinese academic institutions, particularly Peking University, aimed at promoting experience-sharing among developing countries,” he said.
The ministry’s spokesman further announced plans by the Chinese Embassy to commemorate the Chinese New Year, as well as the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Both sides also sealed an agreement between them to coordinate a media engagement on Feb. 10 on the sidelines of activities marking the anniversary and reinforce public understanding of Nigeria–China relations.
