President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja following an official visit to China and a short stay in the United Kingdom, the Presidency announced.
According to a statement by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu departed Abuja for Beijing on August 29 and began his official engagements on Tuesday, September 2, with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.
In China, President Tinubu received a warm welcome from his hosts, including a 21-gun salute and an inspection of a guard of honour. During bilateral talks with President Xi, five Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between Nigeria and China. These agreements cover a wide range of areas, including cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, peaceful applications of nuclear energy, human resource development under the Global Development Initiative, media exchange and cooperation, and an iron ore-to-steel project worth $1 billion in Kogi State.
President Tinubu also held discussions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and later attended a banquet hosted by President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on the eve of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
The President visited two major Chinese companies, Huawei and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), before delivering a speech at FOCAC, where, as chairman of ECOWAS, he emphasized multilateralism and cooperation as key to global peace.
During his visit, Tinubu also met with representatives of the Nigerian Diaspora in China, highlighting the reforms his administration is implementing in Nigeria and expressing optimism about the country’s future.
After his visit to China, President Tinubu traveled to the UK, where he met with King Charles III to discuss climate change and other related matters.
