The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has praised the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda, describing them as initiatives delivering tangible and life-changing results that should be sustained beyond 2027.
Dunhai made the remarks on Thursday when he visited Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The ambassador said bilateral trade between Nigeria and China had reached $18 billion in the first half of the year, while noting that Nigeria had undergone significant changes over the past three years, with improvements in its macroeconomic position.
He urged Nigeria to maintain its reform trajectory, expressing confidence in the country’s economic direction and the growing trust of foreign investors. He also disclosed that Nigeria’s exports to China had increased significantly over the past three years.
Dunhai reaffirmed China’s commitment to strengthening relations with Nigeria, stating that his country would uphold the principle that Africa’s resources belong to Africa, prioritise high-quality investments and utilise local human resources.
He explained that the visit, his first since assuming office in Nigeria two years ago, was aimed at expressing his government’s support for the Renewed Hope Agenda and the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative.
He also sought to explore additional areas of cooperation, particularly in healthcare, education and food security.
In her response, Senator Tinubu welcomed China’s support for the administration’s reform agenda, describing its endorsement of President Tinubu’s potential second term as encouraging.
The First Lady also commended China’s interest in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, particularly its proposed collaboration on the application of technology to improve food security.
She pledged to encourage cooperation between China and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“When friendship have transcended this long, it begins to yield results and we are beginning to see the results now,” she said.
She added, “We are looking for how the vulnerable ones would be lifted, we know this will help us a lot. Nigeria is transforming. And we must embrace the new Nigeria”.
Nigeria and China upgraded their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024 during President Tinubu’s state visit to China.