Garba Shehu: Nigeria’s trade relationship with Taiwan remains the same

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, says the trade relationship between Nigeria and China remains the same.

Shehu said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday.

His statement comes a day after Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, said Nigeria recognised ‘One China’, which means Taiwan is a part of the People’s Republic of China.

Onyeama also directed Taiwan to relocate its Abuja representative office to Lagos, and Taiwan appealed to Nigeria to give “room for discussion”.

But Shehu said the reports to the effect that Nigeria had cut ties with Taiwan, is “incorrect and misleading”.

According to him, the correct position is that the official relationship between Nigeria and Taiwan has been at the level of trade representation and this has not changed from what it used to be.

“Taiwan trade office is Taiwan’s only representation in Nigeria and Nigeria’s trade office in Taipei is our only representation in Taiwan,” Shehu said.

“Nigeria recognises and will sustain the ‘One China’ policy and nothing has happened so far to change that level of relationship.”

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province, ineligible for state-to-state relations, and to be taken back by force if necessary, especially if it makes moves toward independence.