13, April 2020
COVID-19: African ambassadors write letter of complaint to China over ‘discrimination’ 0
African ambassadors in China have written to the country’s foreign minister over what they call discrimination against Africans as the country seeks to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Several African countries have separately also demanded that China address their concerns that Africans, in particular in the southern city of Guangzhou, are being mistreated and harassed.
Having brought under control the original outbreak centred on the city of Wuhan, China is now concerned about imported cases and is stepping up scrutiny of foreigners coming into the country and tightening border controls. It has denied any discrimination.
In recent days Africans in Guangzhou have reported being ejected from their apartments by their landlords, being tested for coronavirus several times without being given results and being shunned and discriminated against in public. Such complaints have been made in local media, and on social media.
The ambassadors’ note said such “stigmatisation and discrimination” created the false impression that the virus was being spread by Africans.
“The Group of African Ambassadors in Beijing immediately demands the cessation of forceful testing, quarantine and other inhuman treatments meted out to Africans,” it said.
The note was sent to State Councilor Wang Yi, the Chinese government’s top diplomat, copying the chair of the African Union, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and all African foreign ministers.
“The Guangdong authorities attach great importance to some African countries’ concerns and are working promptly to improve their working method,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a statement published Sunday, referring to the province in which Guangzhou is located.
“African friends can count on getting fair, just, cordial and friendly reception in China,” he said, adding the foreign ministry will stay in close communication with Guangdong authorities and address the “African side’s reasonable concerns and legitimate appeals”.
Zhao’s statement did not reference the ambassadors’ note to Wang and did not mention the allegations of discrimination against Africans in the city.
Foreign affairs official Liu Baochun told a news conference separately on Sunday that Guangzhou is enforcing anti-virus measures on anyone who enters the city from across the national border, regardless of nationality, race or gender.
The Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe on Saturday dismissed the accusation that Africans were being deliberately targeted.
“It is harmful to sensationalize isolated incidents,” it said in a tweeted statement. “China treats all individuals in the country, Chinese and foreign alike, as equals.”
Disappointment
The ambassadors’ note highlighted a number of reported incidents, including that Africans were being ejected from hotels in the middle of the night, the seizure of passports, and threats of visa revocation, arrest or deportation.
On Saturday, Ghana’s foreign minister of affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said she had summoned the Chinese ambassador to express her disappointment and demand action.
Kenya’s foreign ministry has also “officially expressed concern”, adding the government is working with Chinese authorities to address the matter.
On Friday, Nigerian legislator Akinola Alabi tweeted a video of a meeting between the leader of Nigeria’s lower house of parliament, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Chinese Ambassador Zhou Pingjian. In it, Gbajabiamila demanded an explanation from the diplomat after showing Zhou a video of a Nigerian complaining about mistreatment in China.
The ambassador said in response to the questions from the house leader that he took the complaints “very seriously” and promised to convey them to the authorities back home.
Source: REUTERS
13, April 2020
China says not discriminating against ‘African brothers’ amid outbreak 0
China has rejected accusations that it is discriminating against Africans amid the COVID-19 epidemic in the country.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian emphasized during a daily briefing on Monday that all individuals in the country, including “African brothers,” were being treated as equals.
The Chinese official rejected accusations by American and African officials about the alleged mistreatment of black people in in China in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic, particularly in the southern city of Guangzhou.
He said accusations that Beijing was racially discriminating in its measures to prevent the spread of the disease were an abortive attempt by the US to harm China’s growing relations with African countries.
China treats all foreigners equally, Zhao insisted.
A US Embassy security alert on Saturday claimed that Chinese “police ordered bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appear to be of African origin,” and local officials launched mandatory testing and self-quarantine for “anyone with African contacts.”
It had allegedly been rumored that some infected Africans had ignored quarantine measures and gone to a family restaurant, infecting both the owner and his eight-year-old son, who later died due to complications from the infection.
The police and public health bureau in Guangzhou told reporters that officials had responded to rumors that “300,000 black people in Guangzhou were setting off a second epidemic.”
In related news, the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe dismissed the accusation that Africans were being targeted and mistreated in the country.
While acknowledging that there had been some incidents, it pointed out that highlighting the events could be detrimental to bilateral relations.
“It is harmful to sensationalize isolated incidents,” it said in a Twitter statement. “China treats all individuals in the country, Chinese and foreign alike, as equals.”
Over 1.84 million people are diagnosed with COVID-19 across the globe, and 114,090 others have died according to the latest data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
China, where the virus first emerged, has brought its epidemic under control, while essentially the rest of the world continues to grapple with rising cases.
Source: Presstv