The People’s Republic of China has re-stated why it has continued to partner Nigeria in its development efforts. The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, disclosed this during the event to commemorate the 75th Independence Anniversary of China in Abuja, Nigeria. He said Nigeria and China have so much in common as both countries are proud of their splendid cultures, hardworking and kind-hearted people, and tremendous development potential, adding that both countries shared the same national day on October 1, which is a unique bond linking them while both are “ancient yet young countries” and “marching forward with confidence toward modernization.”
He continued, “In Nigeria, there is a proverb. You can go fast if you go alone; you can go far if you go together.
“China would be proud to be a great partner with Nigeria on our way to achieving common development and modernization.”
He recalled that during the just concluded Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping had successful discussions and decided to upgrade the China-Nigeria relations to that of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and signed over 10 cooperation documents.
“Going forward, we aim to jointly build more roads, railways, airports, power grids and base stations, and will witness their extensions to your beloved communities and hometowns,” he told the huge gathering at the 75th National Commemorative event.
‘We will also have more blue and green projects targeting future development, which will contribute to a happier and brighter future for Nigerians.”
The envoy who recalled his first encounter with Nigeria as an undergraduate during the country’s victory at the Olympic Games in 1996, describing Nigeria as a great country that he never dreamed to become an ambassador but which he has now become. He promised to work very hard to translate his earlier enthusiasm of the country to concrete reality benefiting both countries.
He said over the past 75 years, China witnessed profound and transformative changes lifting Over 800 million people out of poverty with over 100 million taken out of poverty in the past ten years bringing to an end absolute poverty and ushering in a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
“The living standards of Chinese people have grown from bare subsistence to moderate prosperity, while China has moved from weakness and poverty to strength and prosperity, achieving the twin miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability in human history,” he said. “Between 2013 and 2023, China contributed over 30 percent on average to global economic growth, making it the largest driving force for the world economy.”
The envoy noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971, China and Nigeria have enjoyed a long-standing friendship, strengthened high- level engagements, consolidated political mutual trust, deepened people-to- people exchanges, and shared fruitful outcomes of practical cooperation.
“I look forward to working with people from all walks of life to promote our bilateral relations to a new height.”
Speaking about China’s development and the impact of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Dunhai said: “Over the past 75 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese nation has forged ahead in unity and has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing upright to becoming prosperous and growing in strength. Especially over the past decade, the CPC has rallied and led the entire Chinese nation to win the largest battle against poverty in human. He referenced the just concluded summit of Heads of States and government of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as a robust platform, that has delivered and continue to deliver concrete outcomes.
“At the opening ceremony of the Summit, President Xi Jinping announced a six- point proposition on China-Africa joint efforts to advance modernization and ten partnership actions for the next three years, which drew a blueprint for China- Africa cooperation going forward.” He assured that China would be proud to be a great partner with Nigeria on the way to achieving common development and modernization.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Dr. Tajudeen Abbas noted the giant strides and accomplishment of China, pointing that from being a largely agrarian society to becoming the second-largest economy in the world, China’s journey is a testament to resilience and visionary leadership.
“Today’s gathering reminds us of the greatness of China as a fast-developing giant nation, a global change-maker, prominent for its intensifying influence in the globalized world. It is a celebration of China’s enormous contributions to the socio-economic development of the world and its worthy accomplishments in global high-tech advancement.
“The support that China has extended toward Nigeria’s infrastructural projects has been invaluable. Initiatives such as the construction of railways and roads have not only enhanced connectivity within Nigeria but have also fostered economic growth and job creation,” he said. The ceremony had in attendance the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, ministers, senators, governors, members of the House of Representatives, members of the diplomatic community, international organizations and the business community.
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