President Goodluck Jonathan and President
Xi Jinping of China Wednesday in Beijing
presided over the signing of five
agreements to boost financial, trade,
economic, technical and cultural relations
between Nigeria and China.
The agreements, which were signed after
bilateral talks between the two leaders and
their delegations, include the Framework
Agreement on Comprehensive Financial
Cooperation In Support of Nigeria’s
Economic Development and a Preferential
Buyer Credit Agreement for Nigeria’s Four
Airports Expansion Project.
Others were a new Agreement on Economic
and Technical Cooperation between Nigeria
and China, an Agreement on Mutual Visa
Exemption for holders of diplomatic and
official passports from both countries and
an Agreement for the Prevention of the
Theft, Illicit Import and Export of Cultural
Property.
Speaking before the commencement of the
talks, President Jonathan thanked President
Jinping and the people of China for the
warm reception accorded him and the First
Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, since their
arrival in Beijing on Tuesday.
The President assured President Jinping that
the Federal Government was fully committed
to sustaining and developing the strategic
partnership between Nigeria and China for
the mutual benefit of the two countries and
their people.
He said that in spite of the many positive
developments in bilateral relations between
the countries in recent years, there was still
ample scope for increased trade and direct
investment from China in Nigeria.
President Jinping assured President
Jonathan that China will continue to work
with Nigeria in all possible areas in
furtherance of the development agenda of
both countries.
Earlier in the day, President Jonathan met
and invited senior executives of several
Chinese conglomerates to initiate fresh
investments in Nigeria or increase existing
ones, saying that the Federal Government
was committed to doing all within its
powers to expand Nigeria’s domestic
manufacturing capacity.
Those the President met with included top
executives of Huawei Technologies Limited,
China Great Wall Industries, ZTE Corporation,
the State Grid Corporation of China, the NIC/
SINOPEC/CGC Consortium, the China Railway
Construction Corporation and the China
Harbour Engineering Corporation.
At a breakfast meeting with African
Ambassadors to China, President Jonathan
reaffirmed his conviction that African
countries needed to strengthen their
institutions of democratic governance to
guarantee political stability and sustained
development.
He said that democratic governance ought
to be nurtured and encouraged until it takes
firmer root across the continent, adding that
the African Union must continue to stand
against unconstitutional changes of
government in member-states.
The President regretted recent political
developments in Egypt and called for a
speedy return by the country to
constitutional order and governance.
Noting that the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation has become a useful
framework for engagement between Africa
and China, President Jonathan said that the
African Union may consider the
establishment of a representative office in
Beijing to facilitate closer ties between the
Asia economic giant and African nations.
President Jonathan will meet with Premier Li
Keqiang and the Chairman of the Standing
Committee of the National Peoples Congress,
Zhang Dejiang, on Thursday for further
bilateral talks.
He will also address Chinese investors and
their Nigerian counterparts at a business
forum in the China World Trade Centre in
continuation of his state visit to the country.

hmmmmmmmmmm thats my president. haters you can lick our @@S