China-Africa: Nothing Can Stall China’s “Promising” Development, Prosperity: Former Nigerian Ambassador
By Qiu Jun and Li Huailin
The fast reconstruction and recovery from the catastrophe of Wenchuan earthquake have once again demonstrated that nothing can stall China’s “promising” development and prosperity, former Nigerian ambassador to China Victor Nwaozichi Chibundu has told Xinhua recently.
Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the massive Wenchuan earthquake that rocked China’s southwestern Sichuan province on May 12 last year and claimed about 69,000 lives.
Chibundu said neither the natural disaster like Wenchuan earthquake nor the global financial crisis could hamper the Chinese people’s bright future.
The ambassador, who is also founder and chairman of the Nigeria-China Friendship Association (NICAF), also expressed his great respect for the Chinese government’s timely rescue measures and efficiency in rebuilding the quake-hit areas.
“The quake-hit people will surely need to forget the pain and stride forward,” he said.
Apart from the sad memory of the quake, this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Chibundu noted that China has stood the tests of all kinds in the 60 years like the Wenchuan earthquake. The Chinese people have never given up to any of the difficult times, he said.
“The Chinese success story makes me ponder on the reasons behind. I now believe that a strong central government could be one of the most important factors that you make it,” Chibundu said, adding that the Chinese government’s policies are well-planned and people-oriented so that they gain people’s full supports.
On last year’s Beijing Olympic Games, Chibundu said he was glad to see his prediction turned into reality. In an interview with Xinhua on May 20, 2008, he assured that China would present the world a “perfect” Olympic Games.
“You have made it nothing less, the game is gorgeous”, he said. The 78-year-old former diplomat who served as ambassador to China since 1981 to 1984 recalled his experience, saying that China’s reform and opening-up is becoming ever more successful and China is having more and more influence in the world. To host the Olympic Games is a natural outcome of all this.
“The world just can not at all ignore a fast developing country like China,” he repeated what he exactly said in the last interview with Xinhua before the Olympics.
Responding to questions concerning the current financial crisis, he praised China for “acting in accordance with its position as a major economic player in the world”, believing that the Chinese government and people would absolutely win the battle.
After retiring from the Nigerian Foreign Service in 1990, Chibundu threw himself into the efforts to improve the ties between Nigeria and China and founded the NICAF in 1994, which is a nongovernmental organization dedicated to promoting exchanges and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries.
Chibundu has written four books on the development of Nigeria- China ties since his retirement. His works are strongly recommended for international relations students in Nigerian universities and have become important reference books for researchers on the Nigerian-China ties.
(english.cri.cn)
Tags: Nigeria