On September 27th, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria hosted a Reception in celebration of the 61st Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Nearly 600 people including Nigerian dignitaries like Mr. Aliyu Hong, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and representing President, Alhaji Hussaini Muhammad Jalo, Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice President, representing Vice President, Senator Atiku Bagudu, representing Senate President, Mr. Ibrahim Mantu, former Deputy Senate President, some Senators and members of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Salamatu Suleiman, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Labaran Maku, Minister of State for Information and Communications, and other people from the Nigerian government, military, PDP, media, academic institutions and enterprises, as well as members of Diplomatic Corps and representatives from the Chinese community were present on the occasion.
Mr. Wang Lei, Political Counselor of the Embassy first made a brief and solemn introduction on Mr. Deng Boqing, the new Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria and his wife, Mrs. Cheng Hong. In his conversations with the guests, Ambassador Deng expressed thanks for their presence at the reception, and said that, China has successfully realized a fast economic and social development since its foundation 61 years ago, which can’t happen without the support of the international society as well as the international environment of peaceful development. There is a solid foundation for China-Nigeria relations, with extensive cooperations in various fields. He firmly believes that there is a more promising future for the bilateral relations with the joint efforts of the government and people of two countries.
Mr. Hong, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, extended congratulations on the 61st Anniversary of the Founding of People’s Republic of China on behalf of President Jonathan. He said that, China had achieved remarkable development in the past few years, which set a good example for other countries. The friendly Nigeria and China relations had been also undergoing rapid development, with cooperations in various fields continuously enhanced. Nigeria attaches great importance to developing its relations with China and would seek further communication, exchange and cooperations in various aspects and thus deepen the strategic partnership of the two countries. He also welcomed Ambassador Deng to Nigeria to assume his post, and believes that the new Ambassador will push forward the further development of Nigeria-China relations in his tenure
The reception enjoyed a warm and solemn atmosphere. A Choir named “Capital voice of Abuja”, voluntarily joined by local Nigerians from Abuja, sang the National Anthems and some folk songs of Nigeria and China respectively in English and Chinese, which drew lots of applauds from the audience. Guests at the reception, one after another, also requested to take a collective picture with Ambassador Deng and expressed welcome and congratulations to him. They wished him successful in work, and wished China further developed while the China-Nigeria relations continuously deepened.
