Following the reported cases of alleged racial discrimination perpetrated by Chinese officials against Nigerians and other Africans in the quest to enforce measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in China, Nigerian experts in China’s political history have said the country does not have the intention or capacity to discriminate against any group.
The reports of the alleged ill-treatment of Nigerians in the coastal city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong province of China, drew the attention of the Nigerian government, which through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, expressed concerns about the development and vowed to take action to address the matter.
But experts from the Abuja -based Center for China Studies (CCS), an intellectual think tank committed to the scholarly interrogation of China and her broad cooperation with Nigeria in particular and Africa in general, said China does not officially or even by convention subscribe to racism.
The Director of the Center, Charles Onunaiju, told a news conference in Abuja at the weekend that the reported incidences of ill-treatment of Nigerians could be attributed to the overzealous nature of some law enforcement officers, who might have gone beyond their mandate or who might have allowed their personal prejudices to transform into official responsibility.
He said that China helped Africa to dismantle the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa by assisting the continent in building one of the longest railway lines from Tanzania to Zambia, which helped Africa consolidate the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa and therefore cannot condone racism.
“China cannot practice racism, China does not officially or even by convention subscribe to racism. There could be incidences of overzealous officials, who are not able to appreciate the context of their responsibility. But this cannot be taken as a deliberate and calibrated policy towards Africans or Nigerians,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the Chinese authorities will fish out those officials who meted the alleged ill-treatment to Nigerians and punished them, adding that China would not allow such indiscretions from its officials to affect its most cherished cooperation with Nigeria and Africa.
“As a strategic partner, Nigeria is obviously in the frontline of China’s diplomatic engagement in Africa and the practical outcomes are hugely game-changing for a country taking economic recovery and revitalization of its key infrastructure as its vital focus
“Crucially, Nigeria has been strategically engaged to the major International public goods that China has initiated, the Belt and Roads framework of international cooperation, tapping from it, to promote the core agenda of Economic Recovery Growth Plan(ERGP).
“Let not the exigencies of the control and containment of the pandemic throw spanner in the wheel of one of the most important bilateral relations Nigeria has because China-Nigeria cooperation has delivered practical results that we could all see and feel, which aggregate into helping Nigeria revamp her economy.
“Let not the infraction of this time impair or vitiate a long standing relationship between China and Nigeria and between China and Africa built on political trust and mutual respect,” Onunaiju said.
He stressed that China has sponsored a number of projects in Africa most of which are on concessional loans of 1% interest rate with over 30 years repayment period. He added that under the framework of the G20, China is also spearheading debt relief for Africa to help the continent channel resources to combat the pandemic.
Also speaking, Senior Research fellow at the Center, Abbas Hassan, noted that the fight against the virus is happening at unusual times and the measures taken by the Chinese authorities to curb the pandemic could cause some discomfort and inconveniences. He however, called for full investigation into the reported cases of discrimination against Nigerians.
He likened the fight against the virus to a war situation, saying “in war situation, nobody asks for privileges. This is a different kind of war where the enemy cannot be easily seen, where the enemy is exceedingly slippery. This is the context of what happened in Guangzhou.”
He also urged the media to demonstrate greater sense of fairness and objectivity in the reportage of what happens in China.
Another Senior Research fellow of the center, Joseph Golwa, a professor and former Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, called for greater synergy between the Chinese and Nigerian media practitioners for effective and objective reportage.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
