Nigeria leads protest against Chinese mistreatment of African citizens

After the meeting between the Foreign Minister and the ambassador, the Speaker of the lower house of parliament also piled more pressure when he chided the ambassador in a separate meeting on Thursday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson insisted that relations between the country and Africa remained robust despite the latest round of friction.

“FM Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said: ‘China and African countries are united more than ever, demonstrating brotherhood in times of adversity. We treat all foreign nationals equally in China. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination’,” the embassy tweeted.

On Saturday, the African Union Commission Chairperson also tweeted that his office had summoned the Chinese envoy to the AU over the recent reports.

“My Office invited the Chinese Ambassador to the AU, Mr Liu Yuxi, to express our extreme concern at allegations of maltreatment of Africans in Guangzhou plus called for immediate remedial measures in line with our excellent relations. The African group in Beijing is also engaging with the govt,” AUC chair Moussa Faki Mahamat posted on Twitter.