STORY: China-Nigeria think tank forum pledges to promote common development
DATELINE: Oct. 21, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:28
LOCATION: Abuja
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of MoU being signed by representatives of China's Zhejiang Normal University and the Gusau Institute
2. various of the forum
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LIU HONGWU, Director of the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CUI JIANCHUN, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ALIYU GUSAU MOHAMMED, Founder of the Gusau Institute

STORYLINE:

A China-Nigeria think tank forum on Thursday pledged to continue to promote common development and shared prosperity between the two countries.

Tagged "The 2023 Abuja Forum", the conference brought together scholars from China's Zhejiang Normal University and the Gusau Institute, a research center in the most populous African nation, as well as prominent figures from academia, diplomatic corps, and government.

It's a crucial platform for discussions on various facets of China-Nigeria relations, including economic partnerships, infrastructure development, and educational exchanges.

The think tank also examined the successes of the Belt and Road Initiative and other development initiatives, as well as the win-win cooperation between Nigeria and China on one hand, and China and the entire African continent on the other hand.

Visiting Chinese professor Liu Hongwu, director and founder of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, noted during an interview with Xinhua that cooperation between China and Nigeria covered a wide area, including security, industrialization, and agriculture modernization.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LIU HONGWU, Director of the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University
"Nigeria is an important country on the African continent, and China's cooperation with Nigeria is also very important. (During) today's conference, we discussed more details about the China and Nigeria cooperation in the future. Not only in industrialization, but also in information, and also green cooperation, and so on."

The senior Chinese scholar emphasized the need for Nigeria and the entire African continent to be quickly developed with its large population, big market, and vast resources. "We are taking the Belt and Road Initiative because of the transfer potential of industrialization."

In his keynote address, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the African Union High Representative For Silencing The Guns, examined the long history of China-Africa mutual understanding, saying the cooperation between them had grown exponentially.

"Africa has been a top recipient of China aid," said Chambas who attended the forum virtually.

Noting that China-Nigeria cooperation had so far delivered a lot of tangible results, Cui Jianchun, the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, emphasized at the event that both partners had also "set a very good example to the rest of Africa."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CUI JIANCHUN, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria
"We can characterize our achievements, and this is historical, in terms of infrastructure, highways and railways, airports, hydropower plants, and also in ICT, information and communication technology."

The yearly conference held in Nigeria is aimed at advancing dialogue and fostering more understanding between African nations and China. Organized by the Institute of African Studies at the Zhejiang Normal University and the Gusau Institute in Nigeria, the forum also provides an opportunity for critical discussion of issues that mutually affect China and Africa.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ALIYU GUSAU MOHAMMED, Founder of the Gusau Institute
"This forum can promote closer friendship, greater economic engagements, and other mutually beneficial activities. It has become imperative that in the fast-changing political, economic, and other global ecosystems, more attention needs to be focused on the importance of effective collaboration between Africa and other regions."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Abuja.
(XHTV)