Resist External Interference, Chinese Envoy Advises West African Leaders.
The Chinese envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Yu Dunhai, has called on political leaders in West Africa to resist all forms of external interference.
Yu was speaking on Friday in Abuja at an exchange programme between students from the Tsinghua University of China and the 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. However, one principle I believe is very important is that we should object to foreign interference in the region.
“But particularly by any major powers. I think, you know, for civilisation, exchange, and mutual learning, there are two principles that we need to follow because it’s crucial.
“I think we should respect equality, equity, and peace. All civilisation is equal. We don’t believe that there is any civilisation that is secure and empowered because each civilisation grows from its national condition. For instance, the civilisation of the United States. It grows from the real condition of this country.”
Yu also called for improved communication and exchange between his country and Nigeria. He said: “The first partnership action is the people-to-people exchange and mutual learning. That’s why I believe that today, we must build and improve our communication and exchange in combination with this important topic. Why is the people-to-people exchange so important? Because countries’ relations eventually boil down to people-to-people exchanges.
“Nigeria is very much blessed with rich resources and huge development potential. So, I see there is great potential for the development of Nigeria.
“I believe that people-to-people exchange creates the foundation for our bilateral relations. While China and Europe are bilateral relations, they are not only about government-to-government relations. It’s not only about business. But eventually, it’s people-to-people relations. Over the years, China and Nigeria have carried out a lot of cultural exchanges. For instance, we co-hosted the Cultural Week of China and Nigeria.
“We hosted the Chinese Festival event. We also invited Chinese artists to come to Nigeria to work with Nigerian artists. We have also established a cultural centre in our respective countries.
“And we know the Chinese cultural centre is very active here in our region. And, of course, the universities of our two countries jointly established two cultural centres in Nigeria.”
He stated that China and Nigeria share a lot of similarities, saying, “We have a lot of common values. The first one is that I find that in Nigeria and China, we are both disarming countries.“We do not believe in war. For instance, I have studied the history of Nigeria. Since founding the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria has never been involved in a war. And if you look at China, it’s the same. Since founding the People’s Republic of China, we have never initiated a war with other countries.
“Both China and Nigeria believe in peace for several decades. Two thousand years ago, there was a Chinese philosopher. You know, who wrote the article? He believed that the war should always be peaceful and non-violent.
“Security is best when you can thwart your enemies through tele-machines. For instance, if you look at the map of China, it’s very different from the map of Nigeria. Because of China, the boundaries exist.
“You know, because we have 2,000 years of history, we have a lot of issues with our neighbouring countries. So when the People’s Republic of China was founded, we had border issues with each neighbouring country we have borders with on the land. And over the past 70 years, we have resolved all these border issues. That’s one level. First, peaceful means.”
“And that reflects that China is a country, a naturalised country, that we love. We don’t believe in war. We don’t believe in conflict.
“And the second similarity is that both China and Nigeria are peaceful. And we have splendid cultures. Nigeria is the region, the culture, the civilisation, the region of Africa.
“The third point is that both China and Nigeria have very multi-ethnic cultures. Nigeria has the most ethnic groups in the world. Over 250, I would say. In China, we have 56 ethnic groups. And these people live together peacefully. People respect this diversity. And we live together in harmony.
“And of course, the fourth similarity I identified is that Nigeria and China won our national independence partly.
“Because both China and Nigeria were invaded, colonised, even divided by the Western powers. And we won our independence with a lot of struggle and fight. That’s why we cherish our sovereignty.”
The envoy also discussed the benefits of diversity, saying respect for diversity is the foundation of unity.
“The first one is that we should respect diversity as our nation. The world is diversified. I mean, the beauty of the world actually lies in its diversity.
“Each country is unique. As a diplomat, I have been privileged to travel to over 70 countries all over the world. And being in a travel group in so many places, I always find each country unique.
“And each country, the civilisation of each country, is inherently tied with the global civilisation. And also make contributions to human civilisation, to the development and progress of humanity. Imagine that if there is only one language, if there is only one music, if there is only one culture in the whole world, what could, you know, how poor could it be? You know, you couldn’t imagine.“We believe that we live in a global environment. That we live in a world of independence. That’s why the Chinese presidency wants to push forward the idea of building a community with a shared future for all mankind.”
