On the afternoon of August 28, Premier Zhu Rongji met with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is on a state visit to China.

Zhu first extended a warm welcome to Obasanjo’s another visit to China. He said that Obasanjo is a well-known African statesman and an old friend of the Chinese people. He has visited China many times and made positive contribution to the friendship between the people of the two countries. Now President Obasanjo has traveled from afar to pay China a state visit. President Jiang Zemin held fruitful talks with President Obasanjo on the previous day during which they jointly charted out the direction for future development of China-Nigeria relations in the new century, thus further promoting the development of bilateral friendly relations and cooperation.

Zhu said that the Sino-Nigerian relations have been developing soundly and steadily since the two countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, and the two sides have maintained fruitful cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and scientific and technological fields. The friendship between the two peoples is deeply rooted in their hearts. He expressed appreciation and thanks to the Nigerian government for its commitment to the One-China principle and its support to China on the human rights and other major issues.  China and Nigeria are ancient countries with large population and multi-nationalities, and both are developing countries of important influence. Furthering the bilateral cooperation at all levels and in all fields conforms to the common aspiration of the two countries and peoples. The Chinese government is ready to work with Nigeria to push their bilateral ties to develop in a profound and all-round way in the new century.

Zhu said that as the largest developing country in the world, China is ready to promote friendly relations and cooperation with other developing nations.

Obasanjo first expressed thanks to the Chinese government for its warm reception. He said that his meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin on the previous day covered wide-ranging topics and was held in a friendly atmosphere. They had very good talks. He said that bilateral relations have been developing steadily since the two countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago. His ongoing visit is aimed at promoting the existing friendly relations between Nigeria and China. They would like to work with the Chinese side to bring the friendly relations and cooperation between Nigeria and China to a new level. He said that Nigeria and China have maintained good relations politically, and with the expanding economic and trade cooperation, Nigeria hopes to strengthen the cooperation with China in this regard.

Zhu pointed out that economic cooperation and trade are an important part of bilateral relations, and the driving force behind the development of bilateral relations. In recent years, with the active efforts of the governments and business communities of the two countries, bilateral economic cooperation and trade have made remarkable progress. More and more Chinese companies have invested in Nigeria, conducting all forms of mutually beneficial cooperation. The two sides have conducted cooperation in the fields of railways, ports, and electric power, and will cooperate in the areas of petroleum and telecommunications in the future. Bilateral trade is growing every year. Nigeria has become one of China’s important economic and trade cooperation partners in Africa. Nigeria has rich natural and human resources and a big market. China’s technologies, equipment and management experiences are suited to the national conditions of African countries. China and Nigeria are economically complementary and have bright prospects for cooperation. With the support of the two governments, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Nigeria will be further promoted.