Chinese Consul General denies that Africans were mistreated in China
The US also accused China of xenophobia due to the alleged treatment of Africans.
This file photo taken on March 2, 2018 shows people walking in the “Little Africa” district in Guangzhou, the capital of southern China’s Guangdong province. Africans in southern China’s largest city say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing as the country steps up its fight against imported infections. (Photo by Fred DUFOUR / AFP)
Chinese Consul General to South Africa Tang Zhongdong has denied allegations that Africans in China were mistreated.
Tang was speaking at a handover ceremony with Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku on Tuesday where 30,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) were donated.
He made the comments in response to widespread media coverage of Africans in China who claimed they were subjected to forced Covid-19 testing, random isolation and evictions.
While China said it mostly curbed Covid-19 infections, a cluster of cases linked to the Nigerian community in Guangzhou allegedly sparked discrimination.
The US also accused China of xenophobia due to the alleged treatment of Africans.
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However, Tang said: “There is no discrimination. In China, we treat all the foreigners equally. There is no differential treatment.
“Chinese people always see the African people and African countries as brothers and friends,” Tang said.
He added that China would continue to work with South Africa to fight Covid-19.
Masuku said South Africans who were recently repatriated from China did not report any mistreatment.
Parts of China, such as Wuhan, have eased lockdown restrictions.
Masuku said South Africa should learn from this: “We need to learn from countries like China on how the measures should be enforced and how the measures should be respected by the citizens.”
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