The Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of China in Nigeria, Mr Zhao Yong, has said people-to-people exchange between China and Nigeria is thriving, noting that 6,800 Nigerians are undertaking various courses in the Asian country.
The envoy disclosed that 512 of the students were on scholarship, noting that many of the students were studying Chinese.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at a seminar on the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Yong noted that the past 20 years had been a journey of productive cooperation between China and Africa.
He stated, “People-to-people exchanges have been thriving. In 2019, the number of Nigerian students in China rose to 6,800, which stands first in all African countries. About 512 of them have been covered by a wide variety of scholarships.”
Yong said in 2019, direct Chinese investment stock in Africa topped $49.1bn up by nearly 100 times from the year 2000, adding that China-Africa trade reached $208.7bn.
Yong stated that his country delivered more than 400 tons of medical supplies to 53 African countries and also dispatched public health experts to 15 African nations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
– Punch