CHINA AND NIGERIA: MECHANISMS OF COOPERATION

The subject of the present study is the mechanisms of political and economic interaction of the People's Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The analysis of relations between China and African countries, as a rule, has a generalized character, although in practice they vary considerably across the continent. Therefore, it seems reasonable to study each case of bilateral contacts separately. Relations between China and Nigeria are developing faster than those between China and other African states. To a certain extent, this is due to the fact that the “Asian giant” - China - has the world's largest population and the fastest growing world economy, while the “African giant” - Nigeria - is the most populous country on the continent and has in recent years become the largest African economy and now seeks to become one of the 20 largest economies in the world. Although, of course, the main reason for China’s growing presence in Nigeria is the huge reserves of hydrocarbons that China’s national economy desperately needs, and Nigeria's vast consumer market that Chinese manufacturers are actively penetrating. However, unlike the relations of the Celestial Empire with other African countries, the relations of China with Nigeria in the last two decades have taken a shape of a strong political union supported by close cultural ties. The expansion of economic and political cooperation between the PRC and African countries raised the issue of balancing the positive and negative factors of China's growing presence on the continent. The analysis of the model of the Sino-Nigerian cooperation in various fields has shown that to date, despite the existence of certain problems, the development of trade and economic relations is a promising direction of bilateral cooperation.