President Bola Tinubu is set to engage in high-level bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the upcoming Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, scheduled to take place from September 4 to 6, 2024.
Tinubu, who will attend the summit as the representative of the West African bloc ECOWAS, currently chairs the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
During the summit, President Tinubu is expected to address critical issues concerning regional peace and security, according to presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, who briefed State House correspondents on Tuesday. Ngelale also highlighted that the visit is anticipated to yield significant economic benefits for Nigeria.
The meeting between Tinubu and President Xi comes at a time of heightened tension due to the recent seizures of Nigerian assets by the Chinese firm Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited. The seizures, which have sparked diplomatic concerns, include the controversial ruling by a French court that allowed the firm to seize three Nigerian presidential jets as part of an ongoing legal dispute.
Former Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Usman Sarki, has advocated for diplomatic engagement as the most effective means to resolve the conflict between the Nigerian government and the Chinese company. He emphasized the importance of President Tinubu addressing this issue directly with his Chinese counterpart during their meeting.
The dispute, rooted in a decades-long arbitration case involving the Ogun State government, has escalated following the court’s decision in Paris, raising concerns about the implications for Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic relations with China.
