The government of the People’s Republic of China wishes to strengthen its relationship with Nigerian mass-media by promoting better neutrality in projecting Chinese developmental steps both in Africa and China.
Mr Guo Weimin, the Vice Minister of Information of State Council of China, announced it in Abuja last week during a media discussion launched by Leadership Newspaper Group.
Mr Weimin characterized mutual relations between China and Nigeria as evergreen. He particularly noted that collaboration between mass media of both countries would be improved very much. He also reminded that the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, which took place in winter 2015, had mass media affairs as one of the declared agreements.
NAIJ Nigeria learnt that China’s relationship with African countries was the keystone of Chinese foreign policy. Mr Guo Weimin informed that the principal purpose of his visit to Nigeria was to put into practice important agreements that had been reached between Nigerian and Chinese Presidents on rising strategic collaboration of China-Nigeria relations.
According to the Vice Minister of Information of State Council of China media takes a strategic position in China-Nigeria collaboration. He also added that Nigerian and Chinese media should intensely promote people-to-people relations between the countries. They must also serve as a positive instrument, which will help to develop both nations worldwide.
Mr Guo Weimin called for broadcasting most touching stories of the life in both China and Nigeria to the whole world. “Our countries must start cooperating and exchanging experience. We will support Chinese media professionals to visit Nigeria and vice versa to share experiences and get new knowledge,” invoked Mr Weimin.
Mr Lin Jing, the Chinese Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, noted that broader media cooperation must be a vital part of the general China-Nigeria relations. He reminded that since 2015, China had been training 1,000 media professionals from Nigeria yearly. “Nigerian and Chinese mass media should give out objective and rational information. When media cooperation works, society thrives,” concluded the Deputy Ambassador.
Mrs Funke Egbemode, the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, told that was important for the media to team up to improve both regional and national development. Mrs Egbemode also told that the press had always been a regulator in ensuring clarity and responsibility amongst leaders.
“Nigerian offline and online media really work hard to release quality articles and materials of journalistic investigations daily. Now we are to double our work because we can realize more working together with our Chinese colleagues. It is a great achievement for national media development,” emphasized the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.