Is the China-Africa ‘all-weather’ relationship in the midst of a coronavirus storm?

Beijing has sent medical teams and vast quantities of essential supplies to help African nations battle Covid-19, but it has also been accused of racism towards African people living in southern China

Observers say China has to be careful the incident does not damage its otherwise positive image in Africa

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China and African nations have been in dispute over complaints of racism against Africans living in Guangzhou. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:30pm, 18 Apr 2020Updated: 1:25pm, 29 Apr 2020

The much touted “all-weather friendship” between China and Africa has been under strain recently, with Africans living in southern China complaining of mistreatment amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Group of African Ambassadors in Beijing last week wrote an open letter saying they appreciated the good relationship between China and Africa, but were worried about the stigmatisation of African people.

They pointed to the evictions of African people living in Guangzhou – the capital of Guangdong province – enforced testing for Covid-19, the seizure of passports and denial of entry to hotels as their main concerns.

There are currently 30,768 foreign permanent residents living in Guangzhou, including 4,553 Africans. A total of 16,000 expatriates from Africa currently live in Guangzhou. One district of the city is known as Little Africa.

One of the Africans is “Steven”, who said his perception of China changed when strict quarantine rules were brought in after five Nigerians in Guangzhou tested positive for Covid-19.

Steven, who declined to give his real name for fear of discrimination, said his friend told him that the police were looking for him, so he went to the police station and was told to go into self-quarantine at home.