West African Leaders Must Resist External Interference-Chinese Envoy

Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai has said political leaders in West Africa must lead the citizens in their quest to resist all forms of external interference especially from the major powers.

The Chinese envoy gave this admonition while speaking on Friday in Abuja at an exchange programme between students from Tsinghua University of China and University of Abuja, with the theme “Civilizational Exchange and Mutual Learning between China and Nigeria.”

He said: “I looked at the security situation now in West Africa. I know that many people are very much concerned. But one principle I believe is that we should object to any foreign interference in the region particularly by any major powers.

I think, you know, for civilization, exchange, and mutual learning, there are two principles that we need to follow because it’s very important.

“I think we should respect equality, equity, and peace. All civilization is equal. We don’t believe that there is any civilization that is secure and empowered, because each civilization grows from its own national condition. For instance, the civilization of the United States grows from the real condition of this country.”

Yu also called for improved communication and exchange between his country and Nigeria, saying “the first partnership action is the people-to-people exchange and mutual learning. That’s why I believe that today we have to build and improve our communication and exchange in combination to this very important topic.”

He said further that Nigeria is very much blessed with rich resources for development for the development of the country as it relates more with China on a people-people basis.

“I believe that people-to-people exchange creates the foundation for our bilateral relations because while China and Europe are bilateral relations, it’s not only about government-to-government relations. It’s not only about business.”

He noted that China and Nigeria share a lot of similarities especially in the quest for global peace, saying “we do not believe in war. For instance, I have studied the history of Nigeria. Since the founding of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria has never been involved in a war with other countries. And if you look at China, it’s the same. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we have never initiated a war with the other countries.”