Chinese government has expressed the crucial role of the media in advancing China-Nigeria cooperation. 
 
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Seminar for media practitioners in Beijing, China, the Deputy Director, Education and Training Centre of China International Communications Group (CICG), Mr. Li Hengtian, said the news media and commentators remained the stone arches that build the bridge of understanding, and the clear breeze that dispels the mist of prejudice.
 
While China and Nigeria may have achieved great results since the commencement of their relations, he insisted that the people of the two countries still desire to understand each other more deeply.
 
He, therefore, tasked the media on effective communication that breaks down barriers of single narrative.
 
Citing Nigeria’s renowned author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hengtian described “stories” as the highest form of human communication capable of telling China’s stories accurately and writing a new chapter of China-Nigeria friendship.
 
Economically, Hengtian described Nigeria as China’s largest engineering contracting market, second-largest export market, third-largest trading partner and a major investment destination in Africa.
 
“From the Lagos Light Rail to the Abuja Rail Mass Transit, and from the Lekki Deep Sea Port to the Zungeru Hydropower Station, monuments of China-Africa cooperation have risen one after another across the African continent.”
 
“In the grand narrative of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China-Nigeria cooperation has always been a highlight.
 
“More and more Nigerian youths are travelling east to pursue the starlight of knowledge in Chinese institutions; more and more Chinese builders are heading west to Nigeria to sow the seeds of development on its fertile soil.
 
“This year, the two countries are working together to build a China-Nigeria community with a shared future. I believe that with the joint efforts of China and Nigeria, mutually beneficial cooperation will progress steadily and yield more fruits on the African continent,” he said.
 
Hengtian therefore expressed optimism that Chinese and Nigerian media can strengthen cooperation and tell the stories of China-Nigeria friendly cooperation and common development with diverse perspectives and sincere writing.
 
He also hoped that the seminar would open a window for greater understanding of China for mutual tolerance, trust and mutual support between two countries.
 
The Institute of International Studies and Advanced Training is affiliated with China International Communications Group. Founded in 1949, China International Communications Group (CICG) is a comprehensive professional international communication agency dedicated to telling China’s stories well and showcasing its long history, culture, contemporary outlook and achievements in reform and development to the international community through various languages and media.   
 
Its business covers six major sectors – high-end international communication, publishing and distribution, media communication, research and consulting, cultural exchange and industry services.
 
Yearly, it publishes over 4,000 types of books in more than 40 languages and edits 36 multi-language periodicals in 14 languages. Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, compiled and printed by CICG, has been published in five volumes and as many as 42 languages, with distribution covering more than 180 countries and regions.
 
Over 20 journalists and media aides from Nigeria are participating in the seminar.