Coronavirus Pandemic, Featured
Although Chinese companies are known to be involved in many infrastructural projects and other development projects in many African countries, the attitudes of Chinese security officials and other Chinese citizens towards Africans in China and even in some African countries have been suspect and condemnable, which COVID-19 pandemic has once again thrown up
By Anayo Ezugwu
THE video footages of Chinese officials maltreating Nigerians and other African citizens over the issue of Coronavirus pandemic, have brought to the fore the claims by some Africans that they are usually discriminated against and unfairly treated by Chinese officials in their country.
Since the video footages went viral, the Chinese government has been criticized across the continent. The videos showed some Nigerians in China being forced into another 14-day quarantine after the initial 14 days they had spent for the same purpose over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apart from the harassment of Africans, the Chinese government is also struggling to rebuild confidence in the medical equipment it is providing to the rest of the world to help stem the spread of coronavirus. It is gathered that many European countries are demanding their money back for millions of faulty antibody tests supplied by China.
However, many video clips trending on the social media depicting the way Nigerians and other Africans are being ill-treated by Chinese officials. Though, in one of the videos, a Nigerian official stood up to Chinese officials in defence of Nigerians. Following this video, Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has demanded an end to the inhumane treatment of Nigerians living in the Asian country. He said this when the leadership of the House met with Zhou Pingjian, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila asked the Chinese envoy to look into the viral media reports and videos from Beijing showing Nigerians being forced out of their houses and hotels. The videos further detailed how Nigerians were rounded up and their passports seized by the Chinese police. He told the ambassador, according to a release on April 10, that there should be an official explanation for treating Nigerians in such a manner.
“If the diplomatic relationship between our two countries is for the mutual benefits of our citizens, then there must be respect for our citizens and we should not compromise it. As a government, we will not allow Chinese or other nationals to be maltreated just as we will not allow Nigerians to be maltreated in other countries. The way you treat your citizens, we expect that’s how you’ll treat others.
“We will not tolerate our citizens breaking your laws, but the crime of one citizen cannot be used to stigmatise the whole country. It appears that was what happened in this case. You can’t use one brush to smear the whole wall. Whatever the reason, it cannot be used and taken out on the entire (Nigerian) community in China,” he said.
Likewise, Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, said the treatment of Nigerians by Chinese authorities is unacceptable. He said it appeared that Nigerians were being discriminated against at hotels and restaurants and being stigmatised as supposed carriers of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Speaking during a meeting with Zhou Pingjian, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, said: “There were videos circulating on social media of very disturbing scenes and incidents involving Nigerians in the city of Guangzhou. We saw images of Nigerians in the streets with their possessions and this was, of course, extremely distressing for us at home,” he said.
Onyeama said the situation was unacceptable to the Nigerian government and its people, and needed immediate action from the Chinese authorities.
As a result of this development, a group of African Ambassadors’ recently wrote a joint letter to Chinese authorities to express their displeasure with the growing discrimination and stigmatization of the people from the continent. Without a single report that African nationals have violated Chinese government anti-pandemic regulations, the ambassadors said, “We have received disquieting reports of inhuman treatments meted out to Africans, particularly in Guangdong Province.”
The diplomats, representing Nigeria and other African countries, listed the grievances to include the ejection of Togolese, Nigerian and Beninese nationals from their hotels in the middle of the night; forceful administration of nucleic acid tests on a group of African students in Sun-Yat Sen University in Guangzhou despite the fact that they had no travel history within the stated period; discriminatory COVID-19 tests on African men married to Chinese women; forceful evictions of Africans from their various apartments; seizure of passports of African nationals in violation of international practices and conventions; persistent subjection of nationals of African countries to unwarranted medical examinations even after testing negative for COVID-19; threats of revocation of visas as well as detention and deportation of legal migrants for no cogent reasons.
But the Chinese government has stated that it has concluded plans to protect Africans in the country and will not tolerate discrimination against them. Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, made the comment on Sunday, April 12, at an event in Guangdong on anti-epidemic measures concerning African citizens in China.
“China and Africa are good friends, partners and brothers and (China) will not allow humiliation of Africans. Our friendship is forged on the basis of joint efforts to seek national independence, liberation, economic development and better livelihood in the past decades. Such time-tested friendship is a treasure for both Chinese and African people. Humanity shines through the darkness of the epidemic,” he said.
Lijan said after the Ebola epidemics broke out in three West African countries in 2014, the Chinese government provided assistance at the earliest time possible and fought side by side African countries and people. “Now faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Africa are again tiding over difficulties hand in hand and our friendship is again elevated.
“We will not forget the support from Africa during our most difficult times. While overcoming difficulties at home, we also give love and care to all African citizens in China, especially African students. As the situation is getting more severe in Africa, the Chinese government and people have urgently delivered batches of supplies to the continent.
“Our assistance, conveying deep friendship for our African brothers and sisters, demonstrates our fine tradition of mutual assistance and mutual support, and has been highly acclaimed by African countries and the African Union. While arduously fight the virus at home, China has donated large amounts of test kits, masks, protective suits, goggles, face shields, forehead thermometers, medical-use gloves, shoe covers, ventilators and other supplies to the African Union and African countries.”
– Apr. 17, 2020 @ 18:45 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19: Threatening fragile China-Africa Relations
