Nigeria has accepted China’s offer to deploy security personnel and assets to help Nigerian troops in the search and rescue operation for the girls.
Speaking at a joint news conference after bilateral talks with the Premier of the State Council of China, Li Keqiang at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Jonathan said that the two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation on fighting piracy and organised crimes.
He said: “The Premier promised that China will assist Nigeria in our fight against terror, especially our commitment and efforts to rescue the girls that were taken away from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.”
“We agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of defence and security and strenghten cooperation in counter terrorism, anti-piracy and combating organised crimes.
“The Premier expressed firm support to efforts at safeguarding our sovereignty and secure our territorial integrity as well as promoting economic development,” Jonathan said.
He went on: “We examined issues of common interest to our countries. We reviewed, in particular, our economic, trade, political and cultural relations.
“We are satisfied with the achievements recorded in those fields. We also agreed that the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between our two countries coming up in 2015 should be marked to further deepen our relations.”
The two countries also sought to maintain visits at all levels, including between governments, political parties and legislatures towards promoting mutual understanding and trust.
Continuing, Jonathan said: “I reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the one-China policy while the Premier expressed firm support for our efforts to safeguard our national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity as well as promoting economic development.”
“We agreed to encourage our bastions, companies to further deepen cooperation in infrastructure development especially the railways, power plants and airports.”
“We also agreed that the economic cooperation zones established by the Chinese enterprise in Nigeria have achieved tangible progress and that those enterprises should be encouraged to invest in various fields of the Nigerian economy.”
According to him, they also expressed support for the financial institutions of the two countries for cooperation in on-lending to Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.
“We also undertook that the central Banks of the two countries should promote local currency settlements to facilitate bilateral trade and investment.”
“At the end of our discussions, our ministers signed a number of bilateral cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding, among them is the bilateral air services agreement which will definitely promote greater people to people contact and also enhance bilateral trade and commerce.” He added
The Chinese Premier, who spoke through an interpreter, disclosed that the two countries agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, financial services, trade and investment, agriculture, air services, aerospace and people to people exchange.
He said that China also wanted to work with Nigeria to ensure a quality and safety of mutual exchange and export.
According to him, Nigeria is one of China’s trading partners in Africa and in 2013, trade between both countries reached about 30.6 billion US dollars (about N4.9 trillion).
He said: “I wish to emphasise that we know that the government and people of Nigeria pay high attention to coastal rail project in Nigeria.”
“The project is quite significant to the national security and economic development of the country.
“Chinese companies have already shown a key interest in this project and the chinese government will give support to the cooperations between the two sides on the project in terms of financing and experts.”
“We want to work with Nigeria to the conclusion of the project so that it will bring benefits to the people of Nigeria,” he said
“Nigeria has become the largest economy in the Africa continent. Moreover the Nigerian economy has sustained the upward momentum,” he said.
He hoped to see more trade between both countries and stronger cooperation in the development of agriculture in Nigeria.
Source: The Nation
