Nigeria and China have concluded plans to advance their bilateral relations in areas such as clean energy, defence and finance, with China additionally pledging support for Nigeria’s issuance of Panda bonds to fund infrastructure.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, at a meeting in Abuja, also outlined efforts to address regional security challenges.

Wang was visiting Nigeria as part of a wider four-nation tour of Africa, an annual journey to advance Beijing’s already considerable influence on the continent.

His visit to Nigeria follows recent high-level exchanges, including intergovernmental committee talks in Beijing last June and President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to China in September.

Noting that the meetings have culminated in the elevation of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said China would favourably study and consider a request by Nigeria to expand a currency swap agreement.

On regional peace and security, Wang said that at the United Nations Security Council, China would always vote in favour of Africa, adding it would continue to support Nigeria in rallying countries in the region.

“We will work with Africa to address insecurity and achieve long-term stability through development,” he said.