Your Excellency Honorable Speaker Tajudeen Abbas,
Honorable Ministers, Senators, Governors and Members of the House of Representatives,
Dear Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Representatives of International Organizations,
Dear friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening!
It is a great pleasure to meet so many friends and jointly celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all the distinguished guests and express my sincere appreciation to those who have been caring for and supporting China’s modernization and China-Nigeria friendship over the years.
It is indeed a great honor for me to serve as the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria. Over the past one month, brief as it may seem, I already fall in love with this land of warmth. I first came to know Nigeria through the Super Eagles, the Nigeria National football team, which won the gold medal in 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. At that time I was a university student and I never dreamed that I could become China’s Ambassador to this great country, yet here I am. I look forward to working with people from all walks of life to promote our bilateral relations to a new height.
Dear friends,
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 history. Each year, an average of 10 million people were lifted out of poverty, which is equivalent to the population of a medium-sized country. At present, nearly 100 million Chinese people in total have shaken off poverty. China has accomplished the historic mission of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
Over the past 75 years, China has witnessed profound and transformative changes. 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. 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.
At present, the Chinese people have embarked on the new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal, which is, by 2049, to build our country into a great modern socialist country in all respects that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful, and to pursue the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
In July this year, the 20th CPC Central Committee successfully convened its Third Plenary Session. The Session charts the course for us to further deepen reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, and has set a new milestone for reform on our journey toward modernization. The high-quality development of China will bring new opportunities to the development of Nigeria and other countries in Africa and from around the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Nowadays the world is experiencing profound changes unseen in a century. Against the backdrop of the changes of the world, of our times and of the trajectory of history, President Xi Jinping has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and advocated an equal, orderly multi-polar world and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all. The proposals have contributed Chinese solutions to world peace and development and global governance, and have gained wide support from the international community. China will always act as a world peace builder, a global development contributor, and an international order defender.
Earlier this month, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) successfully concluded. The Summit was attended by the leaders of all 53 African countries with diplomatic relations with China and the chairperson of the AU Commission, the UN Secretary-General and representatives from more than 30 international and African organizations. Under the theme of Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future, the leaders took stock of the journey of China-Africa friendship, and highly commended the progress made in implementing FOCAC outcomes. The leaders reached a clear political consensus on strengthening all-round China-Africa cooperation, and elevated the overall China-Africa relations to an All-Weather Community with a Shared Future for the new era, and adopted unanimously the Declaration of the Beijing Summit and its Action Plan. 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 3 years, which drew a blueprint for China-Africa cooperation going forward.
Dear friends,
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971, China and Nigeria have been enjoying a long-standing friendship, with strengthened high-level engagements, consolidated political mutual trust, deepened people-to-people exchanges, and fruitful outcomes of practical cooperation. China-Nigeria high-level relations always stand at the forefront of China-Africa cooperation. Nigeria remains China’s largest project contracting market, the second largest export market, third largest trading partner, and a major investment destination in Africa. In 2023, bilateral trade between our two countries reached $22.5 billion. Our practical cooperation has achieved fruitful results in areas such as infrastructure, investment, trade, agriculture and green economy, covering projects for the aviation, on the land and in the sea. The projects have brought tangible benefits to both Chinese and Nigerian people, and provided concrete support for Nigeria’s social and economic development.
Lately I accompanied President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his first State Visit to China since he took office and his attendance at the FOCAC Summit. The visit was a great success. The two sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues, and achieved much mutual understanding. Our two Presidents agreed to upgrade China-Nigeria relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is yet another important milestone in our bilateral relations after we established the Strategic Partnership in 2005. President Tinubu’s visit to China has heralded a new era in our bilateral relations and opened up a new prospect for our practical cooperation. Our two sides also signed more than 10 cooperation documents, which will facilitate greater synergies between Belt and Road and FOCAC cooperation with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Eight Priority Areas. 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. We will also have more blue and green projects targeting future development, which will contribute to a happier and brighter future for Nigerians.
Dear friends,
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. Indeed, we have so much in common. Both China and Nigeria are proud of our splendid cultures, hardworking and kind-hearted people, and tremendous development potential. October 1st is both China’s National Day and Nigeria’s Independence Day, which is a unique bond linking our two countries. We are both “ancient yet young countries”, and now we are both marching forward with confidence toward modernization.
In conclusion, Let’s continue to work with a common purpose, strive to build a community with a shared future.
May China and Nigeria enjoy prosperity and its people happiness.
May China and Nigeria enjoy everlasting friendship and flouring cooperation.
Thank you!