Nigeria and China have signed an agreement to establish an intergovernmental committee to coordinate cooperation between both countries.
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated this on Tuesday, 5th of January 2021 during a meeting with the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.
The signing of the agreement was witnessed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; the Minister of State, Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
Onyeama explained that the visit of the Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister was a deliberate decision that reflected the importance that the Chinese Government held and attached to its relationship with Nigeria.
“And so, this visit by the State Councillor is a very important one. We held discussions, the two delegations. We had on the Nigerian side, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Aviation was represented and discussed a whole range of matters.
“And we also agreed to sign an MoU on Establishing an Intergovernmental Committee that will be charged with coordinating all aspects of cooperation between the two countries and many areas and many sectors in which we are cooperating with the Chinese. So, we decided on an institutional mechanism that will be charged with monitoring and coordinating all that multi-sectoral engagements,” Onyeama said.
He added that both countries realised that year 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Nigeria, including China’s activities under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), trade relations between both countries and discussed health issues, particularly COVID-19 where China had been supportive.
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While speaking, Wang Yi said that the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between both countries offered an important opportunity to take stock and look forward over the past five decades.
Wang added that areas of cooperation between the two countries had yielded fruitful results.
“That has provided a fine example for regional and international cooperation. All of these epitomises that China-Nigeria cooperation has strong moments from within. It means the common interest of both countries and our peoples had become an important part of China-Africa Cooperation and South-South Cooperation.”
“We will set up an inter-governmental committee to be co-chaired by the two foreign ministers to lead cooperation across the board. We will synergise China’s new development paradigm and Nigeria’s development plan.
“We will deepen cooperation in a context of the Belt and Road to advance key projects in support of more rapid industrialisation in Nigeria and its greater capacity for self-development. We will expand cooperation into new areas of digital and green economy to make development more diversified.
“We will further engage in military and security cooperation to contribute to Nigeria’s national security capacity building. We will further coordinate in regional and international affairs, promote multilateralism and uphold common interest of developing countries,” Wang said.
Today, i held a bilateral meeting with Wang Yi, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister. Signed an Agreement to establish an intergovernmental committee to coordinate cooperation between our two countries.
