China and Nigeria will re-emphasize their strategic partnership when leaders of the two countries meet this weekend on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held Dec. 4-5 in South Africa.

A statement released Wednesday by the Nigerian government said leader of the West African country, Muhammadu Buhari, will at the forum follow up on discussions with his Chinese counterpart which took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York in September.

At the meeting in New York, Buhari had told the Chinese leader that he wanted China to re-commence stalled rail projects under new terms that would see China providing the financing required.

"Of particular interest is the coastal railway project stretching for 1,402 kilometers linking Lagos in the West, with Calabar in the East; a project that is expected to be financed with 12 billion U.S Dollars Chinese loan and which will create about 200,000 jobs," said the statement.

The Nigerian leader will jet out to South Africa on Thursday for the meeting. He will be accompanied on the trip by Nigeria's foreign affairs minister, the minister of transportation and minister of industry, trade and investment. Endit

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