Expat backlash reshapes Chinese perceptions

A black version of the Chinese flag swept across African Twitter this month, as users replaced their avatars to express their anger at the government of China. They were outraged not only by widespread reports of coronavirus-related discrimination against Africans in China, but also by claims on Chinese state media that the allegations were ‘groundless rumours’. Posting under the hashtag #BlackChina, Dennis Kiplomo, a nurse from Kenya, tweeted: ‘We expect the kind of hospitality we give to Chinese here in Africa, be reciprocated in their home country.’ Another user in Kenya, Peter Kariuk, wrote: ‘We need a united Africa which will not be slaves of #BlackChina.’ As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, many Africans were last month subjected to forced coronavirus testing and arbitrary 14-day self-quarantine, regardless of their recent travel history. Numerous expats were left homeless after being evicted by landlords and rejected by hotels under the guise of virus containment measures. Traditionally, Beijing has portrayed racism as a Western problem.

Although many African countries have become heavily economically entwined with Beijing, the Guangzhou scandal exposes the gap between the official diplomatic warmth Beijing offers African nations and the suspicion many Chinese people have for Africans themselves. CNN reports that Paul Mensah, a Ghanaian trader who has been living in Shenzhen for five years, says the treatment of Africans in China during the Covid-19 pandemic has shaped his perceptions of racial attitudes in the country. ‘I thought racism was inherent in America, but I never thought people in China would do this,’ he said. There have have been no reports of people in Guangzhou being held accountable for their actions against Africans, and the Constitution has had little effect in protecting China's own ethnic minorities.