Minna, May 25, 2023 -The Chinese Government has opened talks with the Niger State Government on the arrest of some Chinese perpetrating illegal mining activities in the state.
A delegation of the Chinese Government, led by the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. CUI Jianchun, met with the Niger State government on Thursday at a closed-door meeting.
At the end of the meeting, the State Governor-elect, Mohammed Bago, spoke on the outcome of the meeting with some journalists.
He said that the Chinese delegation was in the state to discuss ways to settle the issue of the arrested Chinese out of court.
Bago said the activities of illegal mining companies had caused inestimable damage to Zuma Rock, a national monument, which had affected the host communities.
He said although the Chinese government had been a mutually beneficial partner, the state government could not fold its arms and watch helplessly as its resources were being depleted illegally and the environment degraded perpetually.
“The Chinese have been our good partners for long, but when they do things that are wrong or capable of negating our mutually beneficial partnership, we must not only say it without fear or favour, but also find ways to resolve it,” he said.
Bago said the meeting looked at new ways in which the state government could enter into a business partnership with the Chinese government.
Earlier, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, had said he was in the state to jointly discuss with the state government on how to curb and resolve the issue of illegal mining by some Chinese companies and strengthen the bilateral relationship.
The Chinese ambassador said that the two sides had agreed to broaden economic ties with the optimism that the inauguration of the new administration would open more frontiers for business and development partnership
Jianchun promised that as a long-standing partner of the state government, the Chinese government would, henceforth, ensure that all companies from China with opportunity to do business in the state would do so genuinely and legally. (GBN)
