Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari in New York, the United States, Sept 27, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

NEW YORK - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday met with his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari, calling for boosting bilateral cooperation and upgrading the two countries' strategic partnership.

China and Nigeria enjoy a traditional friendship and their strategic partnership featuring win-win cooperation has brought substantial benefits for their peoples, said Xi, who is in New York to attend a series of summits marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

The two sides should firmly grasp the general direction of China-Nigeria friendship and promote bilateral ties from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, he added.

He said the two countries should also bring into full play their advantages in traditional friendship and highly complementary economies to explore new areas and ways for practical cooperation.

As next year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, China is willing to strengthen cooperation and exchanges in a wide range of areas with Nigeria, including politics, trade, investment, finance, agriculture, education, security, international issues and others, Xi said.

The Chinese president said this year marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, adding that the forum's sixth ministerial-level meeting will be held in South Africa in December.

China agrees with the African side on the proposal of upgrading the December meeting to a summit, and stands ready to work with African countries to make the summit a historic event that will strengthen China-Africa solidarity and chart the course for their future cooperation, he said.

Buhari expressed appreciation for China over its long-term support and assistance to Nigeria in safeguarding national security and developing the economy.

He said the bilateral cooperation has made progress in various areas, with infrastructure, agriculture and hydropower development emerging as the new highlights.

The Nigerian government will continue to promote the all-round development of the bilateral relations, he said, voicing appreciation for Xi's intended attendance at the December summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum.