Nigeria recognizes potential in China collaboration

Nigeria's Minister of Environment Balarabe Abbas Lawal has recognized substantial potential for China to collaborate with other developing nations in tackling their climate challenges within the South-South cooperation framework, drawing on its acute awareness of the difficulties these nations are encountering.

He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Daily on Friday in Baku, Azerbaijan, on the sidelines of the ongoing COP29 United Nations climate change conference, which witnessed his motherland reach a memorandum of understanding on South-South climate cooperation with China.

According to their agreement, the two countries will jointly build a low-carbon demonstration zone in Nigeria.

"The relationship between the People's Republic of China and Nigeria has been very warm for a very long time. I believe that this sort of agreement is just part of it," he said, remarking on the MoU.

This collaboration concerns climate, one of the world's most fundamental issues. He noted that China's leadership in this South-South cooperation is very important and key.

"Let's try to make this as visible as possible for people to see that there is room for this kind of collaboration within the South-South," he said.

Noting that China has also signed agreements with many other African nations, he stressed: "China is a country that understands what we are going through because they have gone through it."

"So they know what it is and they know how it hurts and they are in a position to lead in that area, and we feel that this agreement will go a long way in trying to boost relations between Nigeria and China," he said.