President Bola Tinubu met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where they announced that Nigeria and China have upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two leaders also agreed to build a close Nigeria-China community with shared goals. This decision came after discussions during President Tinubu's official visit to China.
President Tinubu's visit is ahead of his participation in the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, scheduled from September 4-6, 2024.
"This visit is significant for Nigeria and Africa as a whole, as I am here as the Chairman of ECOWAS. Thank you for the warm welcome," President Tinubu said.
He emphasized the importance of strengthening the long-standing relationship between China and Nigeria to boost trade and economic development.
"Nigeria has great potential as Africa's most populous country and largest economy, with a young population that can drive growth," President Tinubu added. "Our partnership has now evolved into a comprehensive developmental alliance."
He stressed that this partnership should lead to significant progress, stability, and security in West Africa, which is crucial.
Regarding Nigeria's economic reforms, President Tinubu assured his Chinese counterpart that his administration is committed to sustainable growth through effective implementation of ongoing reforms.
"We see how President Xi has successfully reformed China's economy, and our reforms in Nigeria are on a similar path. I am a reformer with a proven track record," he said.
"We recognize the need to reform our economy, and we are diligently working on various aspects, including tax and tariff reviews."
He assured potential trade and investment partners that they will find it easy to invest in Nigeria and manage their resources.
President Xi highlighted the strong mutual understanding between Nigeria and China, which has developed over the past 50 years.
"We have found strength through unity and cooperation, and by strengthening strategic coordination, we can further enhance China-Africa relations and promote progress among Global South countries," President Xi said.
He noted that the 2024 FOCAC Summit offers an opportunity to strengthen China-Africa relations and deepen mutual friendships.
Both leaders witnessed the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) covering various areas of mutual interest:
A cooperation plan to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative
An MOU on the peaceful use of nuclear energy
An MOU on human resource development under the Global Development Initiative
An MOU on media exchange and cooperation
An MOU between China Media Group and the Nigerian Television Authority
Earlier, President Tinubu visited the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) in Beijing. He praised the company's role in Nigeria's infrastructure development and its ongoing railway projects.
"It is important to assure Nigerians that the Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano railway segments will be completed to meet the expectations of Nigeria and West Africa," President Tinubu said.
"We will support your investments in solid minerals and other ventures in Nigeria. I am here to confirm that Nigeria is ready to do business with you," he told CRCC Chairman Mr. Dai Hegen during a meeting.
Mr. Hegen mentioned that CRCC has been involved in Nigeria for 43 years, completing over 300 projects and training over 100,000 local workers.
He highlighted that the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan railways have transported around 9 million passengers and 180 tonnes of cargo, with the Lagos blue line serving over 1.6 million passengers.
In another engagement, President Tinubu visited Huawei Technologies' Beijing Research Centre, where the company announced the launch of DigiTruck, a mobile ICT classroom aimed at enhancing digital literacy in underserved Nigerian communities.
During the meeting with Huawei's leadership, the company stated that the initiative would operate in 10 states annually, training at least 3,000 students each year.
Huawei praised the Nigerian government's efforts to train 3 million technical talents (3MTT) and equip young people with the skills needed for future opportunities. The DigiTruck initiative will complement these efforts.
Huawei's leadership expressed their commitment to supporting Nigeria's digital development and offering ICT expertise.
Mr. Chris Lu, CEO of Huawei Nigeria, expressed support for Nigeria's National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), which aims to make Nigeria a hub for talent outsourcing in Africa.
In the future, Huawei plans to expand the capacity of the National Optical Communications (NOC) to meet the needs of more African markets, thereby helping more Nigerian technology talents serve international markets and support NATEP's goals.
During the tour of Huawei's Research Centre, President Tinubu and his team were introduced to the company's latest innovations in e-government, smart education, smart grid, and solar power, all of which have the potential to enhance public services and digital governance in Nigeria.
Huawei also plans to establish a joint photovoltaic (PV) test lab with Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to support these goals.
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