Ever since Xi Jinping took over the reigns of China, hypocrisy and irony have continued to die a thousand deaths in Jinping’s China. China tried to play the victim card when Donald Trump and his administration started addressing the virus as ‘Chinese virus’ as China wrongly claimed that it was racist. After successfully exporting the virus to the world, China in a blatant form of racism is attacking the black people in Guangzhou under the guise of cracking down on the Wuhan coronavirus.
The United States Consulate in Guangzhou has advised African-Americans to stop travelling to the city in the backdrop of the Chinese Communist Party targeting people of African origin under the pretext of cracking down on the Wuhan coronavirus.
In Guangzhou’s Yuexiu district which is also know as “Little Africa”, Africans and people suspected to be in contact with ‘African contacts’ are compelled to take tests followed by a mandatory quarantine at their own expense. It is reported that black people are forcefully evicted from hotels and flats and denied service in restaurants in Guangzhou.
The notice by the US consulate stated that in order to scrutinise foreigners, those who appear to be of African origin and those suspected of having “African contacts” are being made to undergo mandatory tests, followed by a mandatory 14 day quarantine period, regardless of their recent travel history. The notice further stated that the African community has been denied service in the city’s restaurants, hotels and bars.
“The US Consulate General advises African-Americans or those who believe Chinese officials may suspect them of having contact with nationals of African countries to avoid the Guangzhou metropolitan area until further notice,” stated the notice.
The attacks on the African community have sparked an angry reaction from the African diplomats who have raised the issue with Chinese officials. The diplomats have reminded the Chinese officials of their unflinching support during the peak of the virus in China as they heeded the instructions of the Chinese government’s call against evacuation and now the same people who reposed faith in the CCP and state back are being targeted.
A video of Consul General of Nigeria berating the Chinese officials has gone viral as he confronts Chinese officials over harassment of Nigerian nationals in China by the Chinese police. Shockingly, the Chinese officials laughs off the concerns of the Consul General since it’s a regular occurrence in China.
Brilliant. Consul General of Nigeria in China confronts Chinese officials over harassment of Nigerian nationals in China by the Chinese police amidst #COVID19 pandemic. The Chinese Official laughs it off since it’s a usual practice in China. Bizarre. pic.twitter.com/J9Ky470KNP
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) April 12, 2020
In another instance, the Nigerian Speaker has tweeted a video of him summoning the Chinese ambassador and slamming him for the treatment meted out to Africans in China. “It’s almost undiplomatic the way I’m talking, but it’s because I’m upset about what’s going on,” the Nigerian Speaker can be heard saying in the video.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama also stated that he had summoned the Chinese Ambassador and expressed “extreme concern” over the situation.
In Kenya, anti-China sentiments are rising as Member of Parliament, Moses Kuria has called for all Chinese nationals residing in Kenya to be evicted as a retaliation to African nationals being evicted from their homes in China.
“It is only fair that all Chinese nationals leave the country with immediate effect. How do you blame Africans for a virus you manufactured in a Wuhan laboratory? Go back home,” said Kuria.
Another Member of Parliament, Charles Njagua joined forces with Kuria to attack the Chinese government. “I’ll not hesitate to ask Kenyans to follow the Bible, it says an eye for an eye,” said Njagua in a Facebook post. Recently, the hashtag ‘China must explain’ was also trending on Kenyan Twitter.
The police brutality on African nationals can have a devastating impact on the Belt and Road Initiative which is already ailing. As per a report by Reuters, the businessmen from Kenya are protesting against Chinese colonization of the country. The newly built Chinese railway line, from the port city of Mombasa to the capital, Nairobi, which cost 3.3 billion dollars, has shot up the cost of transportation by 50 per cent. China built the railway line under its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
Earlier, the businessmen were used to transport goods to port city by trucks, the Kenyan government signed a contract with China that if the country builds a railway line from Mombasa to Nairobi, the businessmen will use the Chinese railway line for the transportation of goods.
The Chinese engineers and workers, involved in the railway projects, are racially discriminating against the local people. In 2019, a video of a Chinese executive who called the people of Kenya and their President Monkey, has gone viral over the internet. The local people are allowed to drive the railway only when foreign journalists are present; otherwise, all the operations are carried out by Chinese people.
China is refusing to mend its ways and is back to displaying its true characteristics after successfully exporting the virus to the world. It remains to be seen whether the countries collectively cash in on the rising anti-China sentiment and isolate the country.
