Africans are no longer being maltreated in China - Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Charles Owiredu, has averred that Africans living in China are no longer receiving harsh treatments from the Asian country.

In April 2020, there was a widely reported mistreatment of Africans in China where the former were said to have been evicted from their homes, hotels and forced to sleep on the streets amid fear of imported Coronavirus cases.

Viral videos also showed some Chinese mobs either beating some Africans they come across or refused them entry into Chinese shops.

These acts sparked diplomatic anger accusing the Chinese of racism following the “stigmatisation and discrimination” faced by Africans.

But according to Charles Owiredu, the incidents were as a result of miscommunications to which Chinese consulates to various African countries liaised with their government to resolve the issue.

“So far, I think that the matter has been adequately been sorted out. Initially, we don’t know if it was as a result of miscommunication but there was this viral video going on in China that Africans were the cause of this so when it happened, most of the Chinese stated evicting the Africans who were occupying their homes.”

He added that “…once it got to us, we raised the matter with the Chinese authorities and as at today, I can confidently say that the matter has been resolved and Ghanaians are not being ejected. Africans are not been rejected as it was in the past.”

The Minister also cleared assumptions that Ghanaians stuck in foreign coutries have been stranded as a result of the extension of the border closure.

According to him, “If we say a Ghanaian is stranded, it’s not as if the Ghanaian is sitting somewhere on the streets. No. They are in their homes but…Most of them are in their homes. They want an opportunity to come home. That’s all that they want they want us to open the borders for them and that means they are stranded because you can’t live on the street. You can’t even survive.”