The Nigerian presidency on Tuesday announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will embark on a state visit to China in the first week of September. He is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and CEOs of 10 companies that collectively manage assets worth about $3 trillion in the Asian country.
Presidential Spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing State House correspondents at the State House in Abuja.
Ngelale said President Tinubu will visit Huawei Technologies and China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to expedite the completion of the Ibadan to Abuja section of the Lagos to Kano high-speed rail.
He added that Tinubu will also speak to CEOs of companies operating in various sectors such as oil and gas, aluminium production, port construction and dredging, which are key sectors of the economy.
According to him, the President’s expected appointments and meetings in Beijing will bring immediate and future benefits to the Nigerian economy and people.
He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will depart for the People’s Republic of China, most specifically, Beijing, from the nation’s capital within the first week of September, to engage in a series of meetings and activities with immediate and future benefit to the Nigerian economy and the Nigerian people.
“First and foremost, His Excellency, Mr President, will conduct site visits to two major Chinese corporations: Huawei Technologies and the China Rail and Construction Corporation, (CRCC). This is to achieve one of Mr President’s top agenda items, which is the completion of the Ibadan to Abuja segment of the Lagos to Kano high-speed rail line.
“Thereafter His Excellency, Mr. President, will meet 10 selected chief executive officers of 10 major Chinese corporations with assets under management totaling over $3 trillion US dollars across multiple sectors of the economy, including information and communications technology, refining oil and gas, aluminum production, seaport construction, harbor construction and dredging services, financial services, satellite technology development, as well as many other critical sectors.”
According to Ngelale, President Tinubu will also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and sign several memorandums of understanding to deepen cooperation in areas such as green economy, agriculture, satellite technology development, the development and promotion of media companies, as well as blue economic development and national planning cooperation.
The presidential spokesman revealed that this marks a broader engagement between the Nigerian leader, President Tinubu, and his Chinese counterpart, who will discuss issues of common concern on national, regional, and international security.
As Chairman of the ECOWAS Heads of State Organisation, President Tinubu will also attend the 2024 Forum for China-Africa Cooperation FOCAC Summit, scheduled to be held in Beijing from September 4-6.
Alongside speaking on behalf of the region, President Tinubu will also attend a high-level plenary meeting on peace and security where he is expected to deliver further speeches on regional and African peace and security, according to the statement.
“Furthermore, His Excellency, Mr. President, would thereafter join the FOCAC Summit, where several African heads of state will be present to engage with Chinese leaders on various important matters. At this FOCAC Summit, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his capacity as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will deliver remarks on behalf of the region and certainly will proceed to the high-level peace and security plenary, where he will further deliver remarks on peace and security in the region and in Africa in his capacity as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The presidential spokesman added that President Tinubu is very results-oriented and has assured that his participation in the FOCAC Summit in 2024 is not a forum for discussion and will justify all the expenses incurred during his visit to China.
“This engagement is expected to yield very tangible, immediate, and future dividends for the sake of the Nigerian economy and the benefit of the Nigerian people, and the President is placing a premium on deliverables, ensuring that this is not a talk-shop, but that this is something that will yield results for our people, justifying any expenditure that is made during this trip,” Ngelale added.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong also announced in a statement that President Tinubu will pay a state visit to China in the first week of September 2024. He said the visit was requested by President Xi Jinping.
