President Xi Jinping met in Johannesburg with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria in December, 2015. (XINHUA)

 Buhari, who arrived in Beijing on Monday on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, had told Xinhua News Agency that China and Nigeria have much room for cooperation in agriculture, electric power, transportation, and other areas of the economy and trade. 

The visit comes as China, the largest developing economy in the world, and Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, celebrate the 45^th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. 

Media reports quoting a presidential aide have said that Buhari would discuss infrastructure cooperation with the Chinese Government. Nigeria is one of China's largest trade partners on the continent. According to the General Administration of Customs of China, bilateral trade between the two nations, from 2004 to 2015, reached $101 billion. 

Nigeria mainly imports machinery, mechanical appliances and vehicles from China and exports crude oil, wood and agricultural products. The largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria has been affected by falling oil prices. 

Speaking at the 2016 China-Nigeria Trade and Economic Forum in Abuja in March, Zhao Linxiang, Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, said a large number of projects have been completed or are being implemented in Nigeria with Chinese funds, advanced technology and services. 

"Those projects create more than 20,000 jobs for local people," he said. 

Zhao also said Nigeria was one of the most important Chinese investment destinations in Africa. President Buhari's visit to China would breathe new life into the bilateral economic cooperation. 

At the Second Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Johannesburg in late 2015, President Xi pledged 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans. During President Buhari's visit, the two leaders are expected to discuss the plans to boost and diversify Nigeria's economy. 

President Buhari will conclude his visit on April 15.