LAGOS. May 4: Nigeria and China have signed an agreement according each other Most Favour Nation (MFN) trading status for five years initially, the Nigerian foreign ministry said, reports Reuter.

-It said in a statement on Friday the MFN status would apply "in respect of customs duties and charges arid administrative formalities for the issuance of import and export licences." *

The accord was signed al the end of the Nigeria-China Joint commission session held in Beijing from April 25-29. it said.

Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi ‘ led a 35-member Nigerian team that included businessmen to the session which is being failed by the isolated African country as the start of strong economic and diplomatic ties between two major developing nations.

The actions the leaderships of our two nations have taken to raise the level of our cooperation is something the world is now watching." Ikimi told state televteion'on Friday night. ’

Nigeria's relations with its traditional trading partners in the west is sfl-ained ovet the execution last November of nine minority rights activists including the writer Ken Saro-Wtwa. Nigeria. Africa's most populous nation, has since being courting China, whose vote it needs at the United Nations Security Council to thwart any move to impose multilateral sanctions on it.