Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonatha visited China from July 9th to 12th, 2013. He met President Xi Jinping at July 10th. The two presidents presided over the signing of accords between their governments, which reportedly will facilitate $1.1 billion in low-interest loans for infrastructure in Nigeria.
As a resource-rich country with some 70 percent of its population under the age of 30, Nigeria has enviable growth potential and offers valuable business opportunities for China.
China in 2012 became the largest importer of oil from the West African nation due to the decline in US oil imports from Nigeria. Revenues generated from oil account for about 80 percent of Nigerian government revenues.
Its economy is also one of the most promising on the African continent, with an annual growth rate of about 7 percent over most of the past decade.
Jonathan also met Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the National People's Congress Zhang Dejiang July 11th, 2013, and leaders of companies. He participated in a special session of the Nigeria-China Investment Forum, which was attended by leading Chinese investors and their Nigerian counterparts.
