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Africans in Guangzhou say they have become the target of suspicion and have been subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass tests for coronaviruses.
People walk in Guangzhou’s “Little Africa” district in March 2018.
(AFP)
Under strong international pressure, China promised on Sunday to improve the treatment of Africans in the southern city of Guangzhou following the racism and discrimination related to the coronavirus pandemic, saying it rejected all “racist and discriminatory” comments.
Africans in the 15 million-strong industrial center say they have become the target of suspicion and have been subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass tests for coronaviruses, particularly as Beijing intensifies its fight against imported infections.
The African Union expressed “extreme concern” about the situation on Saturday, and called on Beijing to take immediate corrective action.
Meanwhile, the United States denounced what it called “xenophobia towards Africans by the Chinese authorities.”
A recent group of coronavirus cases linked to the Nigerian community in Guangzhou, the largest city in southern China, sparked alleged discrimination by locals and virus prevention officials.
Several Africans told AFP that they had been forcibly evicted from their homes and rejected by hotels.
“The Chinese government has attached great importance to the life and health of foreigners in China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a statement.
“The Guangdong (provincial) authorities attach great importance to the concerns of some African countries and are working rapidly to improve their working method,” he added.
Among the measures announced by Zhao are non-discriminatory health management services and hotels for foreigners who must undergo medical observation, which will be offered at reduced prices for those in need.
He said officials in Guangdong rejected “all racist and discriminatory comments.”
The first reports of increased discrimination came after local authorities said at least eight people diagnosed with the disease had spent time in the city’s Yuexiu district, known as “Little Africa.”
Five were Nigerian citizens who faced widespread anger after reports emerged that they had broken through a mandatory quarantine and had been in restaurants and other public places.
China has made massive investments in Africa in the past 20 years and maintains positive relations with most of the countries there.
“The friendship between China and Africa is unbreakable as it is deeply rooted in this land,” said Zhao.
China has largely avoided its coronavirus epidemic, but remains vigilant about the threat of reinfection from people arriving from abroad who could cause a second wave of the virus.
