Nigeria has been a fertile ground for Chinese investors over the years, and the bilateral relations rose to a new level in 2014. This has resulted in improved trades totaling $18.1 billion last year.

As revealed by Liu Kan, the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, the rise in trading is owed to the relative increase in the exchange of goods and services over the last year.

This has made Nigeria China’s third largest export destination in Africa after South Africa and Angola. China on the other hand, is Nigeria’s largest source of imports.

In a bid to intensify relations, the Chinese government plans to simplify visas application processes for Nigerian business people against this year China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), where thousands of Nigerians will be, in search of new opportunities and partnerships. The Consul-General however appealed that in-turn the Nigerian government creates an enabling environment for Chinese investors seeking opportunities within Africa’s largest economy.

By Peter Oyagbile