In a bid to strengthen bilateral relations between both countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar on Thursday received in audience the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Cui Jianchun in his office in Abuja.
Among other bilateral matters discussed by both parties was the upcoming Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum scheduled to take place this month in Beijing, China.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an initiative of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, which focuses on infrastructure development in countries along the old Silk Road and other related countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Through the BRI, China has made its mark worldwide by funding over 2,900 projects in roads, railways, bridges, hospitals, schools and airports in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, thus promoting trade, job creation, revenue generation and economic development of member countries.
Some of these projects include the Abuja-Kaduna rail line in Nigeria, Bagamoyo Port in Tanzania, the Chad-Sudan Railway, the high-speed Mombasa-Nairobi railway in Kenya, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor consisting of bridges, highways, railways, energy installations and expansion of the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in February 1971, Nigeria and China have enjoyed win-win cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, defence, foreign policy, education and technology transfer.
