The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, has assured of a China-Nigeria collaboration for Nigerian products and commodities to be made available in Chinese markets within the next five years.
The Ambassador made this known in an interview on Saturday
during a temple fair organized to mark the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year on
Saturday in Abuja.
The Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 10, is the
year of the Dragon after the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac.
According to Jiachun, China is the largest economy in Asia
while Nigeria is a leading economy in Africa with a lot of similarities in
culture and strategic knowledge about the international situation and economy.
He said the volume of trade between China and Nigeria had
grown in the past few years.
“China has demonstrated its willingness to give Nigeria and
other African countries opportunities to supply their products to its markets.
“This is to support the developing countries to make
substantial profits in the spirit of the South-South Cooperation which is an
essential component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“Nigeria is a pilot country for China and Africa to build
the joint BRI,” he said.
Jiachun noted that over his past few years in Nigeria, the
5GIST Nigeria-China GDP Strategy had gradually become a reality.
He said: “The 5GIST Nigeria-China GDP Strategy consists of 4
parts, which are 5G, 5l, 5S and 5T.
“5G refers to the 5 Goals of the Strategy, which are
political consonance, economic cooperation, military & security
collaboration, international coordination and people’s communication.
“China and Nigeria have been cooperating a lot from
infrastructure, ICT, agriculture, mining sector, oil and gas, insurance of
banking sectors and also the industry.
“We have done a lot of industrial work here and the most
important thing that I would like to let you know is that we are encouraging
Nigerians to have more product commodities to be in the Chinese market in the
coming five years.”
The Ambassador also noted that with adequate arrangements,
large products from Nigeria would enter the Chinese market, which would also
encourage innovation.
Also speaking, Ja’afaru Yakubu, Chairman, House Committee on
Nigeria-China Relations, expressed his appreciation to the Chinese government
for their continuous support to strengthen bilateral relations between the two
countries.
He said that Nigeria would be hosting a spectacular event to
celebrate this important cultural festival, the Chinese New Year temple fair to
reciprocate the friendship received from China.
“This year, we are thrilled to bring vibrant and colorful
celebrations to Nigeria, as a symbol of the strong and growing relationship
between our two nations.
“The fair will be a celebration of unity and friendship as
we continue to straighten our ties with China.
“We believe that events like the Chinese temple fair will
serve as a reminder of cultural exchange and mutual respect that underpins our
relationship.
“It is my hope that this event will foster greater
understanding and appreciation between our two nations and that will be a
stepping stone toward even closer cooperation in future.
“We also look forward to seeing Nigeria’s products in the
Chinese market,” Yakubu said.