Li hosts Nigerian president to boost trade (2)

Signing of accords

Jonathan met President Xi Jinping on Wednesday. The two presidents presided over the signing of accords between their governments, which reportedly will facilitate $1.1 billion in low-interest loans for infrastructure in Nigeria.

Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary on Thursday that the visit would boost relations between the world's second-largest economy and the second-biggest economy in Africa.

As a resource-rich country with some 70 percent of its population under the age of 30, Nigeria has enviable growth potential and offers valuable business opportunities for China, Xinhua said.

China in 2012 became the largest importer of oil from the West African nation due to the decline in US oil imports from Nigeria. Revenues generated from oil account for about 80 percent of Nigerian government revenues.

According to the latest UN forecast, by mid-century Nigeria will have a larger population than the US. By 2100, the African nation could be the second-most populous country in the world.

Its economy is also one of the most promising on the African continent, with an annual growth rate of about 7 percent over most of the past decade.

Jonathan also met top legislator Zhang Dejiang on Thursday, and leaders of companies including Sinopec, Huawei and ZTE.

He also participated in a special session of the Nigeria-China Investment Forum, which was attended by leading Chinese investors and their Nigerian counterparts.

Zhang Fan and AP contributed to this story.

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