Director-general of Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, Joseph Tegbe, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral collaboration with China to deliver measurable and tangible value to Nigeria’s economy.

Mr Tegbe, who stated this in a statement on Thursday, identified the priority areas to include trade, investment, technology transfer, infrastructure and capacity building.

“NCSP remains committed to strengthening bilateral collaboration with China across trade, investment, technology transfer, infrastructure and capacity building, with a clear mandate to deliver measurable, tangible value to Nigeria’s economy,” he said.

Mr Tegbe, now the power minister-designate, said that the partnership would continue to leverage Nigeria’s long record of diplomatic reliability as a foundation for deeper economic engagement with Beijing.

He also said that the partnership, with focus on manufacturing investment, industrial development and export-oriented production, would befit Nigeria’s scale as Africa’s largest economy.

Mr Tegbe acknowledged that China had already made significant contributions to Nigeria’s railway corridors, port and energy infrastructure, telecommunications networks and industrial capacity.

He stated that the partnership must now advance further, into Nigeria’s digital economy, solid minerals sector, agro-processing capacity and consumer market, to deliver a more productive and balanced economic relationship.

Mr Tegbe reiterated Nigeria’s support for the One-China principle, which recognises China as the only legitimate Chinese government and that Taiwan is a part of its territory.

According to him, Nigeria’s commitment to this principle spans more than five decades, dating to the establishment of diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1971.

Presidents Bola Tinubu and Xi Jinping had, at a meeting in Beijing in 2024, issued a joint statement affirming Nigeria’s adherence to the One-China principle.

(NAN)