On August 27, Zhou Hongyou, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, attended the "China-Nigeria Food Festival." The event was attended by over 200 people, including Abdulkarim Ozi Ibrahim, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy; Aare (Dr) Absoye Fagade, Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism; as well as friends from both countries and media representatives.

Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Zhou noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria and the "China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges"; the food festival aims to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. China stands ready to work with Nigeria to implement the Global Civilization Initiative, expand and deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, and consolidate the public support base for the steady and long-term development of China-Nigeria relations.

In their remarks, Nigerian guests stated that both Nigeria and China are ancient civilizations boasting rich and splendid culinary cultures. By using cuisine as a bridge and culture as a medium, the festival offers a vital opportunity to foster heart-to-heart connections between the two peoples; this will undoubtedly generate greater momentum to drive continued fruitful cooperation between Nigeria and China.