Nigeria and China have said that they will enhance the fields of publishing, academic industries, national development and governance to bring tangible benefits to citizens of both countries.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun said this at the Rejuvenation Book Series Gifting Ceremony at the China Cultural Centre in Abuja. The event was organised by the embassy and the China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Company Limited.
“I also believe that the cooperation between our two countries in these areas is more than conceptual. It can also bring tangible benefits to our two peoples.
“More importantly, it will surely help to inspire the all-round exchange between China and Nigeria and boost the cooperation between China and the whole of Africa.’’
Cui said the book series selected important documents related to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
More so, the ambassador said the series described the efforts of the Chinese, represented by the Chinese communists in pursuit of national liberty, development, prosperity and rejuvenation.
He further said it displayed the spirit that influenced China’s development process and revealed the historical logic and cultural landscape of the Chinese nation’s great rejuvenation.
Also speaking, the Director, Centre for China Studies, Mr Charles Onunaiju said the book series was significant as it opened a window in the Nigeria-China cooperation.
“China and Nigeria cooperation is already a model of pragmatic cooperation built on a long-standing tradition of win-win and mutual benefit.
“In both economic and political sectors, Nigeria-China cooperation have demonstrated that though social systems might differ and may be also geographically distant from each other.
According to him, the meeting of minds in sharing several fields of endeavours and even common stance on good number of important global issues continually brings the two sides together in a practical cooperation.
“The China rejuvenation book series is an intellectual and scholarly tour de-force to re-found the trajectories of China’s long march to contemporary reckoning.’’
Onunaiju urged Africa and Nigeria in particular, to engage and internalise the benefits of the national rejuvenation and collective self-realisation undertaken by the Chinese. The book series were gifted to the National Library of Nigeria and the Minister of Culture and Tourism of China.
Part of the books displayed at the exhibition included books by famous Nigerian authors translated into Hausa and Chinese.