President Bola Tinubu will on Tuesday formally commence his official visit to the People’s Republic of China with a visit to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing where President Xi Jinping will be on hand to receive him.
The President, who arrived China on Sunday morning spent the better part of Monday to take briefings from some of his Ministers and top government officials as well as holding private meetings at the hotel he’s lodged.
President Tinubu on arrival at the Great Hall of the People will inspect a guard of honour, lay a wreath in honour of fallen hero and receive a 21 gun salute.
After the opening ceremony, the President will go into a high-powered bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the end of which the two leaders are to sign five Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).
The agreements between the two nations will focus on key areas, including green economy, agriculture, satellite technology development, media enterprise development and promotion, blue economic development, and national planning cooperation.
The meeting will also provide a platform for the two heads of state to discuss matters of mutual interest, spanning economic cooperation, national, regional, and international security, and other pressing global issues.
Also on Tuesday, the President is expected to hold a roundtable dinner with selected Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Chinese firms at China World Hotel in Beijing.
The President had earlier on Monday paid site visits to two prominent Chinese corporations namely Huawei Technologies and the China Rail and Construction Corporation (CRCC), to fast-track the completion of the Ibadan to Abuja segment of the Lagos to Kano high-speed rail line.
President Tinubu will also engage in strategic meetings with 10 chief executives of major Chinese corporations, boasting assets under management totaling over $3 trillion USD, across various sectors, including ICT, oil and gas, aluminium production, seaport construction, financial services, and satellite technology development.
The visit is expected to yield immediate and long-term benefits for the Nigerian economy and people, underscoring the President’s commitment to economic growth and development.
The Nigerian President will also feature at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) holding in Beijing from Wednesday, September 4 to Friday, September 6.
The conference with the theme “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future”, will be a significant event, with leaders from China and Africa gathering to discuss modernization and building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
President Tinubu, as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will join other African leaders at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit and will on Thursday deliver key remarks on behalf of the region, addressing critical matters of mutual interest between China and Africa.
The President will also on Thursday deliver an eight- minute speech on peace and security and participate in the high-level peace and security plenary, where he will share Nigeria’s perspective on regional and continental security challenges.
Deji Elumoye
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