Exiled former Zimbabwean Cabinet Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo has said that it is racist for Chinese nationals to accuse African nationals resident in that country of importing coronavirus when the virus emerged in China.
He was commenting on an article by The Herald, a Zimbabwean state-run publication which had reported that the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe had said that “Beijing does not tolerate any form of racial discrimination in the Asian country.”
Moyo said on Twitter:
It would be too much to expect the Chinese Embassy in Harare to get it. It’s racist for China to treat Africans resident in China as importers of the #coronavirus, when the virus originated in China!
The statement by the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe followed reports of mistreatment and stigmatisation of black Africans in China where they are reportedly being barred from entering into supermarkets and public transport.
The reports attracted criticism from people across the world including former and current African diplomats who reportedly protested against the alleged racism.
The novel coronavirus which has since been declared a pandemic emerged in Wuhan in Hubei a Chinese Province in December last year before spreading across the world.
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