Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, in Abuja (Nigeria), January 9, 2025. KOLA SULAIMON / AFP After Namibia, Congo-Brazzaville and Chad, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ends his traditional African tour at the start of the year in Nigeria on Thursday. He spoke with his Nigerian counterpart, Yusuf Tuggar, as well as the country’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “China supports Nigeria in uniting countries in the region, creating synergy through reconciliation and promoting security through cooperation to achieve peace and stability in the region,” he said. Wang Yi said Thursday morning in Abuja, the capital of Africa’s most populous country. Wang Yi began the tour on January 6, as China traditionally devotes its first annual diplomatic visit to Africa. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Wang Yi, tireless soldier of Chinese diplomacy, back to the forefront Read later Before the Nigerian stage, he was in N’Djamena on January 8. The Chinese minister had left the Chadian capital for several hours on Wednesday when an “attack” (according to the country’s authorities) took place at the presidential palace in the capital, which left 19 dead, including 18 attackers. Nigeria is one of the most important trading partners for China in sub-Saharan Africa: the country exports gas and oil to China while Beijing sends manufactured products. In 2023, the volume of trade in bilateral trade between the two powers stood at $22.6 billion, according to Abuja. Loans from Chinese public banks Beijing is the African continent’s largest trading partner, with 167.8 billion dollars (163 billion euros) in bilateral trade in the first half of 2024, according to Chinese official media. The Asian giant has sent hundreds of thousands of workers and engineers to Africa and gained privileged access to its vast natural resources, such as copper, gold and lithium. Loans from Chinese public banks have made it possible to finance the construction of numerous infrastructures essential to African growth. But they have also contributed to increasing the debt of certain countries. “China will firmly support Africans in handling African affairs in their own way. Africans are the true masters of this continent,” declared Wang Yi after his meeting with the Nigerian head of state. Also read the interview | Article reserved for our subscribers “Between China and Africa, the honeymoon is a little over” Read later The geopolitical rivalry playing out in Africa between the former Western colonial powers and countries like China, Russia or Turkey has been intensifying since the wave of coups which affected several West African countries in recent years, and which notably pushed the French army to leave in several countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. The Chinese foreign minister also recalled Beijing’s intention to invest 1 billion yuan (132 million euros) to help the continent militarily and support the training of 6,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping received around fifty African leaders in Beijing, including the Nigerian president, as part of a Sino-African cooperation forum during which he promised support of 50 billion over three years. to the African continent. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
Author : News7
Publish date : 2025-01-10 03:03:55
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