The Ghanaian Ambassador to China, H.E Edward Boateng has advised Ghanaians against any form of reprisal attacks against Chinese nationals in light of recent events in China.
According to him, being treated badly does not mean one should retaliate in the same manner as it is against civilization.
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He made this statement in an interview on Happy98.9FM’s Happy Morning Show.
“I can only speak for Ghanaians and not for the entire continent, there is no need for reprisal attacks because of what is happening here in China. This year marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Ghana and China and we hope it continues. No Ghanaian should go on reprisal attacks. If they’ve treated us badly, we don’t have to return that favor.
H.E Ambassador Boateng made known that, the embassy has been in contact with the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry which has assured them of getting Ghanaians their homes back.
“The Chinese Foreign Affairs also noted that if landlords refuse to give Africans back their homes, they will house them. We are interested in making sure that all our people are given proper housing and we have made it very clear to the Chinese. And that is the solution we want,” he stated.
On his authority, Chinese nationals were trying to limit access to public spaces and refused offering some services to Africans. But, the Chinese government has issued a circular directing their citizens to open up restaurants and other public places to Africans.
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.
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China says it has largely curbed its COVID-19 outbreak but a recent cluster of cases linked to the Nigerian community in Guangzhou sparked the alleged discrimination by locals and virus prevention officials.
Local authorities in the industrial centre of 15 million said at least eight people diagnosed with the illness had spent time in the city’s Yuexiu district, known as “Little Africa”.
Since then, Africans have become targets of suspicion, distrust and racism in China with some being forcibly evicted from their homes, turned away by hotels and shops or restaurants refusing to serve them.
