BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — China is willing to work with the Nigerian side to lift bilateral strategic partnership to a higher level, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.
Wang made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Over the past five decades, China-Nigeria relations have enjoyed stable and healthy development and achieved fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, Wang said.
The two countries have maintained close coordination in international affairs and helped each other in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang added.
Wang recalled his recent visit to Nigeria, during which he reached broad consensuses with Onyeama on issues including the development of bilateral ties.
He said he stands ready to join hands with Onyeama to continuously promote the China-Nigeria strategic partnership.
For his part, Onyeama said that since the establishment of Nigeria-China diplomatic ties 50 years ago, bilateral relations have developed with a strong momentum and achieved great success in many fields, as exemplified by the two sides’ solidarity in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two sides have always supported and helped each other during difficult times, making their ties even stronger, he added.
Nigeria stands ready to further strengthen relations with China and continue to maintain close coordination in bilateral and multilateral fields to safeguard their common interests, said Onyeama.
