China Foreign Minister concludes 5-country visit in Nigeria

A five-country tour of the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, to five African countries that started five days ago will end on Wednesday with his visit to Nigeria.
A statement from the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and also the information department of the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Beijing indicated that the multiple diplomatic tour was at the instance of the foreign ministries of the countries he visited.
The countries included Madagascar, Zambia, East Africa, Tanzania and lastly, Nigeria.
Wang is expected to arrive Abuja on Wednesday from Tanzania for the one-day visit.
That trip would signal the conclusion of a busy schedule in Africa diplomacy with China that started on December 26 in Beijing when Wang and the Foreign minister of Sao Tome and Principe signed a pact for the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two. That would be the second of such pact China signed with African countries in 2016 with an earlier one with The Gambia in about March 2016.
And with Sao Tome and Principe, China’s diplomatic relationship with African countries comes to 52. That also enlarges the membership of the multilateral diplomatic platform between China and Africa, the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) created in year 2000, to 54, with the African Union (AU) as non sovereign state member and China inclusive.
At the Sao Tome and Principe and China diplomatic engagement, Wang praised the country for honouring the standing diplomatic order of recognizing the One China policy even at a time some skirmishes seem to rear about Taiwan and international recognition against the One China policy.
A statement by the Chinese Embassy in Abuja noted that the visit by Wang will be a good opportunity to discuss major diplomatic issues relating to the two countries and also with Nigeria’s prominence in the continent, and a diplomatic partner of great importance to China, the meeting between Wang and the government of Nigeria will chart new course for the diplomatic fate of the continent and China in 2017.
On arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama will receive his visiting counterpart, Wang.