China, Nigeria to harness cultural talents toward deepening diplomatic relations

Mr Cui Jianchun, Ambassador of China in Nigeria, has stressed the need for both countries to harness their cultural talents in order to deepen diplomatic relations between them.

Cui said this while briefing journalists on Saturday in Abuja against backdrop of the joint performance by China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) and Nigeria Arts Troupe.

The event organised by CNTO, a national music performance group directly under China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was centered on shared Chinese harmony and Nigeria-China symphony.

Cui said, “The event is about harmony and symphony; I hope that China and Nigeria can deepen ties through the two musicians and artistes.

“I think it is a high time China and Nigeria walked together; we can foster diplomatic relations and economic cooperation, also we love to build people-to-people communication.

“We are deepening political trust, but most important thing is how can we do more exchanges between our two countries? We do believe it is time for us to work closely together;

“Nigeria as a country is.a big giant, we need talented people, skilled and knowledgeable batch of experts to build this great country.”

The envoy commended Nigerians, who after their study in China returned to their country, saying Chinese philosophy entailed if young persons studied abroad, they should support their home country.

He explained that as of June 2023, 65 Nigerian students who graduated from Chinese universities had returned and are now employed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) and other entities.

In a separate interview at the event, Mrs Caroline Adepoju, acting Comptroller-Generlal, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), commended the Nigeria-China symphony to be apt, in terms of deepening Nigeria-China relations.

“This is beautiful, entertainment industry is very crucial to the development of any economy and this is a welcome development,.

“We look forward to such occasion in the future. Anything that is cross-cultural and that can facilitate exchange of knowledge, technology and entertainment is good.

“When we can bring people from other parts of the world and they see Nigeria is advantaged in many ways.

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