Hu Jintao meets Nigerian president

President Hu Jintao met with Nigeria’s leader, Umaru Yar’Adua, in Beijing ahead of the planned signing of a series of energy deals between the two nations, AFP reported. No details of the deals were provided. Yar’Adua is in Beijing for a four-day trip aimed at boosting trade links between Nigeria and China. Bilateral trade reached US$3.13 billion in 2006, up from US$1.1 billion in 2001, according to Chinese data. Total China-Africa trade in 2006 is estimated to have risen to US$55.5 billion, representing a 10-fold increase from 1999. Hu proposed expanding economic and trade ties between China and Nigeria, particularly in the energy sector. China imports about 30% of its oil needs from Africa.