Details of the $6 billion dollars
investments deal reached with the Chinese Government during President
Muhammadu Buhari’s state visit to China last week emerged at the weekend
showing that a conditional stipulation that Nigeria must not deal with
Taiwan was attached to the deal.
The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has
continued to proclaim the One China policy, insisting it is the sole
legal government of China and that Taiwan is a province of China, a
development that has made Taiwan, also known as Republic of China (ROC),
not to be recognised as a sovereign state by most countries.
Though ROC ceased to be a member of the
United Nations in 1971 when it lost its UN seat as China and was
replaced by the PRC, as of 2013, the ROC maintained official diplomatic
relations with 21 UN member states and the Holy See. It also maintains
informal relations with several other UN member states and has offices
that conduct its affairs under such names as “Taipei Representative
Office” (TRO) or “Taipei Economic and Cultural (Representative) Office”
(TECO) in those countries.
A top government official on President
Buhari’s entourage to China who disclosed the details to THISDAY said
all the deals struck came with that proviso which the Chinese President
Xi Jinping specifically emphasised by stating that Nigeria must not deal
with anyone claiming to be representing Taiwan because there is only
one China and no other sovereignty operates from China under any such
guise or nomenclature.
“The President of China however gave a
condition and that is, they remain one China. He said there is no Taiwan
and nothing of such must be accorded any recognition in Nigeria’s
dealing with them. He was very emphatic and you could tell he was not
joking and we understood the terms very clearly. No Taiwan, period!,”
said the source, who is also a cabinet member.
It was however not a surprise to the
Nigerian delegation as it was envisaged in their pre-trip brainstorming
session having understood some of the local politics that define China’s
international relations, the source said.
Because of its experience with Biafra,
Nigeria’s policy right from time had been not to support a divided
sovereignty and that a country must always maintain its unity. On the
basis of that, it has continued to support one China but with freedom of
choice for the component parts to adopt the kind of economic system
they deem fit.
During the tenure of Olu Adeniji as
Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration,
Taiwan took steps to open an office in Abuja (a Trade Office), but the
Chinese government protested to the Nigerian government arguing that
there cannot be two sovereignties from a state in another country.
Nigeria however insisted that if it was a Trade mission, an office could
be opened in Lagos as the country’s economic capital, but not in Abuja
because international convention requires that sovereign states should
establish their offices in the capital cities.
Taiwan however currently puts the
address of its representative office in Abuja at 31, Katsina Ala
Crescent, Maitama. How the proviso for the $6 billion investments deal
will affect Taiwan’s status may begin to unfold soon.
Also, contrary to media reports, the
source said there were no new loan agreements with China and that what
Buhari did during the visit was to renegotiate the existing loan
structure obtained by the administration of former President Goodluck
Jonathan.
The cabinet member said, “It is an
existing loan obtained by the former administration. It was meant for a
counterpart funding project and our government was meant to bring 15 per
cent while China provided the remaining 85 per cent of the loan. But
Nigeria refused to bring its own equity during Jonathan’s era and was
yet spending the money.
“So, part of the essence of this trip
was because the president went there to tell them that there was no
money and wanted a renegotiation of the loan to suit our current
situation. We have not obtained any new loan and whoever is behind the
unintelligent rumour can continue to relish in his folly. Theirs is to
make noise; ours is to deliver on our promises,” the source said.
Speaking further, the source noted that
the biggest achievement of last week’s investment drive to China was the
“blank cheque offer” granted by President Jinping, in which Nigeria was
given the freedom to ask for anything anytime outside of the already
agreed terms and deals.
Another area of the bi-national
discussion which the THISDAY source said excited the Buhari team was
President Jinping’s advice to his Nigerian counterpart on food security.
He was said to have advised Buhari to take the issue of agriculture
seriously and that he would be willing to assist where necessary as well
as provide all the supports that would enable the country pull through
in that critical sector of the economy.
“He said they (Chinese) had experienced
poverty before and understands what it is with nations still struggling.
For instance, he said China’s population is 1.2 billion and is
therefore open to food supply from anywhere in the world. But beyond
that, they are not sure which country can sufficiently supply all that
they need in terms of food consumption by the time they factor in their
own local consumption.
“It was against this backdrop he told us
the initiative that drove their huge investment in agriculture with all
the modern equipment put into it. He said they were not happy with the
situation with some African countries and therefore advised Buhari to
see the compelling need to put a lot into agriculture. We got his
message very clearly.
“So, the trip was a huge success and we
took back a lot from it. But more importantly is that we have been able
to create another ally but that friendship or trip has not completely
solved our problems. We are the ones to solve our own problems ourselves
and we are prepared for it,” he said.
During the visit, several agreements
were concluded with the Chinese on key sectors of the Nigerian economy
including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail
transportation.
In the power sector, for instance, North
South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an
agreement valued at $478 million dollars for the construction of 300
Mega Watts solar power in Shiroro, Niger State.
In the solid minerals sector, Granite
and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement
valued at $55 million for the construction and equipping of granite
mining plant in Nigeria.
A total of $1 billion will also be
invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for
Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank
and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.
Others include a $250 million deal to
develop an ultra modern 27-storey high rise complex and a $2.5 billion
agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line
project, a $1 billion facility for the establishment of a Hi-tech
industrial park in Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State,
a $200million agreement for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas
facilities at the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria)
Investment Limited, and a $363 million deal for the establishment of a
comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi State.
There were also agreements undergoing
negotiations, which include a $500 million project for the provision of
television broadcast equipment and a $25 million facility for production
of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and
Microstar Company Limited.
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