Yan Yuqing, China’s Consul General: I Have Fallen in Love with Nigeria’s Culture, Food

The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Ms. Yan Yuqing, who has been in the country for about six months, in this interview, speaks about her love for Nigeria’s culture, food and the Super Eagles. THISDAY presents the excerpts

You have been in Nigeria for few months now, how will you describe your experience so far about the country, its people, culture and food?

Yes, it has been six months since I arrived in Nigeria at the end of May this year to take up the post of Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, during which I think I’ve fallen in love with Nigeria. I found that Nigerian people are so enthusiastic and hard-working, their faces are always full of joyful smiles, and many of them have become good friends or even families with the Chinese people here. I found that Nigeria has such a colorful and devise cultures. I visited the National Museum in July, and knew that Nigeria has as long a history as China. I watched the three major Nigerian Folk Dances of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, which were impressive. Now I’ve got three Nigerian names, here the Yoruba friends call me Ayo, when I go to Cross River State, my Igbo friends there call me Uche, and when I go to Abuja on business, my Hausa friends there call me Fatima. I found that Nigerian foods are unique, among them my favorites are moi-moi and jellof rice. Moi-moi is a bit like the zongzi you eat at the Dragon Boat Festival in China, except that moi-moi is made of beans, while zongzi is usually made of rice. I also found that Nigeria is strong in sports and I have become a fan of the Nigerian National Football Team, the Super Eagle. There is so much more I want to share but all in all, I have fallen in love with Nigeria.

How will you describe the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China?

Just as Chinese President Xi Jinping noted when he sent congratulatory message to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria is an important strategic partner of China in Africa, and the development of bilateral relations has enjoyed a sound momentum in recent years, with practical cooperation in various fields yielding fruitful results. Vice President of Nigeria Kashim Shettima also pointed out that, Nigeria and China are good friends who have shared weal and woe and supported each other in times of difficulties.  Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria in 1971, more than half a century ago, the two countries have always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit. Facing a world fraught with changes and turbulence, China and Nigeria need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever. China supports Nigeria in pursuing a path to modernisation suited to its national conditions, and stands ready to enhance personnel exchanges at all levels with Nigeria to advance high-quality practical cooperation. China supports Nigeria in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and would like to strengthen strategic coordination with Nigeria to promote democracy in international relations and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. In recent years, bilateral practical cooperation in various fields has been fruitful. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, there have been many highlights in the cooperation between China and Nigeria. Many cooperation projects including railways, ports, power stations and communications backbone networks have been completed in succession, and remarkable achievements have been made in the development of free trade areas. China is ready to continue working with Nigeria to push for more tangible outcomes of China-Nigeria and China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation and help Nigeria and Africa realize industrialisation and agricultural modernisation.

African countries are increasingly looking at China for partnership, how can Nigeria take the lead in the drive for investments from China?

Nigeria has actually taken the lead in the drive for investments from China. Nigeria is one of the African countries attracting the most investment from China. By 2021, cumulative investment has exceeded 20 billion USD, mainly in construction of free-trade and export-processing zones, oil extraction, home appliances and vehicle assembly, agricultural production, etc. Lekki FTZ and Ogun Guangdong FTZ have attracted investment of more than 1.51 billion USD nd created more than 7,000 job pportunities. ven though there are lots of Chinese investment in Nigeria now, I think it is true that there are still a lot of things that can be done to facilitate more investment, and the main thing is that Nigeria needs to keep optimizing the market and business environment. We hope to use the construction of the above-mentioned two FTZs as a model for building more FTZs in Nigeria, to reduce the administrative costs for Chinese investors entering Nigeria. Maintaining currency stability is another important issue, especially in the context of the continued devaluation of Naira, and it’s hoped the Nigerian Government will take effective measures to prevent the loss of investor confidence due to currency devaluation. In addition, as the Chinese saying goes, “to get rich, you must first build roads”, and the continued upgrading of transportation infrastructure will help Nigeria attract more investment. At the same time, it’s also hoped that Nigerian authorities concerned take practical measures to provide more facilitation and security guarantees for Chinese enterprises to invest in the country.

 There are concerns about China plunging Nigeria and other African countries into a debt trap, what is your take on that?

These concerns have no factual basis. China is not the source of African countries’ “debt trap,” but a partner to help them and other developing countries to escape the “poverty trap.” China attaches great importance to Africa’s debt issue and helps African countries to cope with it. China has contributed more to the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) than any other Group of 20 (G20) members. And according to the latest research by the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, China has contributed 63 percent of the debt service suspensions under the DSSI. The research found that China has been active in communicating with other participating parties, and has performed its duties in effectively implementing the DSSI. And let’s take a look at the concept of the “debt trap” itself, and you will find that it seems to be “tailor-made” for China by those with ulterior motives. China is the world’s largest Developing Country, and despite having the world’s second largest economy, its per capita GDP is still low. We are well aware of the feelings of poverty and backwardness. The only solution is to accelerate development. So cooperation between China and African countries, Nigeria included, must not be disturbed by these unfounded manipulations of “debt trap”. When China and Africa join hands to develop and realize prosperity, these so-called “debt trap” fallacy s ound o all part.

There are many Nigerians who want to travel to China to do business but they complain that the visa process is cumbersome, what can you do to make it easier for people to get visa?

China has long adhered to its opening-up policy and China’s gate to the world will remain open. Regarding the visa question you mentioned, before I answer, allow me to clarify that visa policy is a sovereign act of a country, and visa officers are usually very careful when issuing visas to ensure that everyone applies for the right visas in accordance with the visa policy. This is a common practice in all countries, just as Chinese citizens to apply for Nigerian visas. Despite this, we keep improving our visa work based on the actual situation and make it easier for applicants to obtain visas for China. This year, we facilitated visas for many Nigerian businessmen to attend the two Canton Fairs, the Import and Export Fair and other important trade fairs in China. We open the Chinese visa service center in Lekki Phase 1. We have also posted on our official website details of the Chinese visa application process, as well as the documents needed and contact numbers. These are our efforts to facilitate Nigerians in obtaining Chinese visas. At the same time, I would like to use the platform of THISDAY to remind Nigerian applicants who intend to go to China to fully comply with the relevant application requirements, and to ensure the authenticity of all documents submitted. Upon arrival in China, they need to carry out their activities strictly in accordance with the type of visa they hold, and arrange their return trips wisely to avoid illegal stay in China.

What area of economic cooperation can Nigeria focus on to boost China-Nigeria trade which is currently below that of South Africa?

According to the latest statistics from Chinese Customs, Angola has replaced Nigeria as China’s second largest trading partner in Africa after South Africa. But China and Nigeria are the largest economies in Asia and Africa respectively, and the two sides have broad prospects for fruitful cooperation in the economic and trade fields. In recent years, China’s exports to Nigeria mainly consist of electromechanical products and fabrics and garments, while China imports crude oil and liquefied natural gas from Nigeria. In addition, Nigeria is a major agricultural country and produces many high quality agricultural products such as cassava, sesame, peanuts etc. We hope that more Nigerian agricultural products will be exported to China in the future. In addition, the two sides have great potential for cooperation in new energy, digital economy, textile industry, manufacturing and other fields.

There are reports of abuses by Chinese companies in Nigeria, what measures are you taking to resolve some of the issues?

The Chinese Consulate General has long attached great importance to the legitimate operation of Chinese enterprises in Nigeria and have constantly reminded them to respect the legal rights of local workers and interests of local communities. Many Chinese enterprises have done the same. Not only that, but many Chinese companies also carry out charity activities in the communities where they are located, giving away food to poor families. In Lagos, one Chinese enterprises association are running a charity program called “Renewed Hope, Rebirth from the light”, which finance surgery for three Nigerian cataract patients every quarter. Many Chinese companies in Nigeria have become friends and even families with local residents. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s horrible for disputes to arise, but to partially report them and even to use them deliberately spread rumors. In some cases, few Nigerian workers in Chinese factories being injured on the job, was widely reported in the media, but then the Chinese companies provided reasonable compensation and aftercare arrangements, which have not been followed up by the media. This is not conducive to the full dissemination of facts.

In other cases, Chinese-invested mining companies are rumored to be “destroying forestation”, “polluting rivers” and so like. In reality, most Chinese mining companies are responsible, committed to pollution prevention and carry out careful reforestation and earth backfilling after mining is complete. Unfortunately, as the Chinese saying goes, “You can make a rumor by only opening mouth, but you have to run your legs off to disprove it” and very few people care about facts anymore. I hope that the media will be prudent in their reporting so as to avoid being used by those who have ulterior motives to affect the overall situation of China-Nigerian cooperation. Of course, if infringement by a Chinese company does occur, the Chinese Embassy and General Consulate will never tolerate it and support all legal means to resolve the dispute.

Also, there was a recent report that operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) arrested 13 Chinese nationals for offences bordering on illegal mining activities, in Ilorin, Kwara State, what are you doing to ensure that such doesn’t happen in the future?

Since Kwara State is not under the Consular Jurisdiction of the Chinese Consulate General in Lagos, I am not quite aware of the case you are referring to. However, I can answer you in principle that the Chinese government has long required Chinese enterprises to operate legally overseas and respect local customs and culture.

 You recently organised the Chinese film festival in Lagos, can you tell us about it and what you intend to achieve with the festival?

The Chinese Film Festival opend on August 21 and ended in the end of the same month, in Lagos State. The festival is organized by the China Film Administration and the Chinese Consulate General in Lagos and others, with more than 100 guests presenting the opening ceremony. H.E. Hu Heping, Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, attended the event and declared the opening of the festival. Mr. Segun Runsewe, the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture was also present.

I attended the opening ceremony of the festival and delivered a speech. In my speech, I said that the film festival aims to put into practice the Global Civilization Initiative, strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation in the film industry and other creative economies between China and Nigeria, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries. China and Nigeria are both ancient civilizations with profound history and excellent cultural heritage, and through film exchanges and cooperation, the people of the two countries can become a family.

At the film festival, the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Segun Runsewe, appealed to the Chinese government to assist in constructing film villages in Nigeria. Is it something you are considering?

 Yes, we can work together in the movie industry, and I have expressed our expectations above. On October 18th of this year, I was invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Lagos Film City, at which event the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-olu announced ambitious development plans aimed at making the film industry the new engine of the Lagos economy. I believe this is an area that Lagos, and Nigeria as a whole, should focus on, especially since Nollywood’s developmental achievements are impressive and Nigeria has a good foundation for development. China’s movie box office has been the world’s No. 1 for two consecutive years and has strong development strength. The cooperation between China and Nigeria in the field of movie and cultural industry must have a broad prospect and a bright future.