China, Nigeria reach 7 consensuses on deepening bilateral cooperation: Chinese FM

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja, Nigeria, on Jan. 5, 2021. (Photo by Jiang Xuan/Xinhua)

ABUJA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Tuesday that China and Nigeria have reached seven important consensuses on deepening bilateral cooperation.

During a press conference jointly attended by Wang and Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Wang said that after his talks and in-depth exchange of views with Onyeama, the two countries agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and firmly support each other until the pandemic is completely overcome.

Wang said the two sides will establish an intergovernmental committee to be led by the two countries' foreign ministers that will coordinate and advance mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

Meanwhile, the two countries will also advance cooperation in jointly promoting the construction of the Belt and Road by closely aligning China's new development pattern with Nigeria's new national development plan, Wang said.

China will vigorously promote the construction of key projects in Nigeria so as to help Nigeria accelerate industrialization and improve its independent development capabilities, he said.

Wang said the two countries will continue to expand cooperation into areas including digital economy and green economy so as to achieve diversified development; the two sides will deepen military and security cooperation in efforts to enhance Nigeria's capacity in safeguarding national security.

Further, China and Nigeria will also closely coordinate international and regional affairs, practice multilateralism, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Nigeria is the largest economy and the most populous country in Africa. It has important international and regional influences, and it has always been a major strategic partner that China attaches great importance to in Africa, Wang said, adding that the two countries this year will usher in the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Over the past 50 years, no matter how the international situation changes, China and Nigeria have persisted in mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual support, and have embarked on a path of unity and rejuvenation, Wang said.

The Chinese official said that in 2019, bilateral trade volume reached 1,900 times that of when the two countries established diplomatic relations. The two sides have also achieved fruitful cooperation in railway construction, free trade parks, local currency swaps, satellite launches and other fields, and they are at the forefront of regional and international cooperation.

Wang said that facts have proven that China-Nigeria cooperation serves the common interests of the two countries and their peoples, and has become an important part of China-Africa cooperation and South-South cooperation.

In a new historical period, the two sides should inherit and carry forward the tradition of China-Nigeria friendship and welcome more glorious cooperation between the two countries in the next 50 years, Wang said.