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Nigeria and the government of the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to establish an intergovernmental committee that will coordinate cooperation and relations between the two countries.
The committee, which will be co-chaired by the foreign ministers of the two countries, will also seek to deepen cooperation between the two countries, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffery Onyeama said in Abuja.
Onyeama revealed this during a briefing to reporters after a closed-door meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is visiting Nigeria as the first of five African countries to visit.
The Nigerian Foreign Minister, while praising the establishment of the committee, noted that his Chinese counterpart’s decision to visit Nigeria first reflects the importance China attaches to its relations with Nigeria.
He pointed out that China has largely contributed to the successes recorded in priority areas of the current administration, as stated by President Muhammadu Buhari, which include infrastructure development, economic diversification and job creation.
“He is touring five countries in Africa and has chosen Nigeria to be the first country he visits, it is no accident, it is a deliberate decision which reflects the importance they attach to relationship between the two countries.
“This visit of the Councilor of State is very important, we had discussions and we agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on the creation of an intergovernmental committee which will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of cooperation between the two countries in many countries. areas in many sectors in which we cooperate with the Chinese.
“In our meeting today, we talked about transport, our railways, the defense system, political issues and how to structure political cooperation.
At the end of the talks, the Chinese government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced a donation to Nigeria of 100 million renminbi, the local Chinese currency we estimate to be around $ 50 million or 6 billion. naira, ”he said.
Among the ministers of the Nigerian delegation were: Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Education Adamu Adamu and the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika.
Also reporting on the closed-door meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who spoke through an interpreter, said the traditional friendships between Nigeria and China need to grow.
He corroborated that the two countries had agreed to create an intergovernmental committee that will synergize new Chinese developments, deepen cooperation and advance key projects to support faster industrialization in Nigeria.
“We will expand cooperation in new areas of the digital and green economy to make development more diverse.
“Our two countries will continue to work closely on the response to COVID-19 and will strongly support each other for a final victory which is a cure.
“We will engage more in military and security cooperation to help build Nigeria’s national security capacity, we will also coordinate regional and international affairs.
“We are convinced that the China-Nigeria strategic partnership will embrace an even better future, together we will make a great contribution to Africa’s peace and development for the stability and prosperity of the world,” he said. (NOPE)
Vanguard News Nigeria
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