Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday pledged Beijing’s full support and military aid for the world’s poorest continent as he wrapped up his Africa tour in Nigeria.
Wang began an Africa tour on January 6, visiting Namibia, the Republic of Congo and Chad before winding up his tour in Nigeria, where he held talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar in the capital Abuja.
“China will firmly support Africans in addressing African issues in the African way, African people are the real masters of this continent,” Wang said after talks with Tinubu.
He pledged one billion yuan ($136 million) in military aid to Africa and said China would help train 6,000 troops and 1,000 police officers across the continent.
“China supports Nigeria in rallying countries in the region to achieve strength through unity, to build synergy through reconciliation, and to promote security through cooperation,” Wang said Thursday.
Wang on Wednesday visited the Chadian capital N’Djamena just hours before two dozen armed assailants tried to storm the presidential palace in a failed bid that left 20 dead.
One of China’s key trade partners in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria exports gas and oil to Beijing and imports manufactured products from the country.
Trade between the two nations amounted to $22.6 billion in 2023, according to Abuja.