Chinese, Nigerian FMs exchange congratulations on 55th anniversary of ties

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday exchanged congratulations with his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, on the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In his message, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 55 years ago, regardless of changes in the international situation, China and Nigeria have consistently supported each other and advanced hand in hand, with friendship transcending mountains and oceans and deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.

In particular, he noted that since the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024, the two sides have deepened political mutual trust, yielded fruitful results in cooperation across various fields, and closely coordinated on international and regional affairs.

Wang voiced willingness to work with Tuggar to strengthen exchanges between the foreign ministries, leverage the China-Nigeria Intergovernmental Committee mechanism and take the implementation of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as an opportunity so as to lift the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to higher levels.

Tuggar, for his part, said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Nigeria and China have maintained a friendly and mutually beneficial relationship, with deepening cooperation in various fields.

Nigeria regards China as an important strategic partner and is firmly advancing bilateral exchanges while exploring new areas of cooperation to better align with the foreign policy objectives of both countries and promote the development of Nigeria-China relations, said Tuggar, adding that this is highly consistent with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda and demonstrates the two countries' steadfast commitment to deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership and achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

Tuggar said he looks forward to the steady consolidation of friendship and cooperation between the two countries so as to ensure that the outcomes of such collaboration will deliver more benefits to the two peoples.