CHINA AND NIGERIA RELATIONS IN A MULTI-POLAR WORLD
CHINA AND NIGERIA RELATIONS IN A MULTI-POLAR WORLD

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between the giant of Asia, China, and the giant of Africa, Nigeria, and the ways these two countries interact with each other in a multi-polar World. Beijing only imports a small amount of oil from Nigeria, and its total exports to Nigeria, which have been expanding primarily in the consumer goods sector, make up only one-eighth of China's total imports from Nigeria. Also worth mentioning is the sizeable Nigerian immigrant population in China, which is mainly concentrated in Guangzhou. As a result, both nations value their relationship. The Beijing Consensus's efforts to build infrastructure across Africa open up new opportunities for Chinese investment in Nigeria. However, this paper shows that the relationship between China and Nigeria is much more complex than the oversimplified concept of resource diplomacy in a multi-polar World by using descriptive qualitative research as a method and by examining public opinion surveys, popular media, newspaper accounts, and editorials. In actuality, China is only interested in Nigeria's natural resources, particularly its energy, and is unconcerned with the rest of Nigeria. It also makes some important conclusions about what Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African nations can learn from China in terms of how to go about implementing economic reforms and gaining development experience. The theory of complex interdependence is the theoretical foundation and an effective analytical tool for this paper. The paper came to the conclusion that, in a multipolar world, the bilateral relations between China and Nigeria are unbalanced and asymmetrical, making it difficult for the Nigerian government to address both the country's problems and its national debt to China without taking appropriate action. The paper suggests, among other things, that Nigeria's government overhaul its trade policy toward China, which will not only advance the country's technological capabilities but also strengthen its negotiating position to achieve greater benefits in its economic relations with China. The Nigerian government must, above all, uphold her foreign trade policy in all future interactions with China.

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