The Federal Government has said the country’s relationship with China has no exploitation issues, stating that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration knows what it exactly wants.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said the federal government sees China as a country that understands Nigeria does not want to be exporting primary resources, but to be exporting finished products to the country.
Tuggar stated this while addressing the press at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), in China; a video of which he posted on his X handle, on Friday.
He explained the federal government wants to add value, create jobs, manufacture and export finished products.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said, “No, there’s no issue of exploitation because we’re all grown-ups, and Nigeria is grown-up. We’re not kids, so there’s no need to look at us from an infantile sort of perspective.
“We know exactly what we want, and we identify with countries like China because we’re looking for partners that understand that we don’t want to perpetuate ourselves in being exporters of primary resources. We want to add value, we want to create jobs, we want to manufacture, we want to be exporting finished products to countries like China.
“China is the largest market in the world, and we believe China understands that. And we are prepared to do that with all other countries because our approach is that of strategic autonomy. We are looking for friends that we can partner with and work together, co-exist together in harmony so that we can develop.“