The Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Mr. Chao Xiaoliang, says trade between China and Nigeria in 2017 amounted to about N4.97 trillion (13.78 billion dollars).
Chao made the announcement at the celebration of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in Lagos.
According to him, the year 2017 promoted more fruitful people-to-people friendships between Chinese and Nigerians. He said “The year 2017 witnessed a fruitful year of Chinese and Nigerian friendships.
He added that “The cooperation between the two countries is flourishing, especially in the fields of politics, trade, infrastructure, development, IT, agriculture and culture.
He reiterates that “People- to- People and cultural exchange programmes between both countries are growing rapidly, adding that these achievements cannot be made without the efforts of Nigerian friends, the Chinese community, and enterprises in the countries.
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Chao said that the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi, had visited Nigeria to discuss ways of strengthening both countries relations with the President Muhammadu Buhari.
The consul-general noted that China and Nigeria had promoted a number of cooperative projects in 2017, such as the Mambilla Power Project, the Lekki Deep Seaport, and the Lagos- Calabar coastal railway.
Chao expressed optimism that there would be “greater opportunities’ ‘for both countries’ relations this year, especially for implementing China’s19th National Congress of the Communist Party (CPC) and the 40th anniversary of China’s reforms.
