Many people across the world have been calling for global solidarity to strengthen preventive actions against coronavirus so as to avert its social and economic impact. So far, many countries are under partial and full lockdown to restrict movement of people and strengthening the prevention capability. Accordingly, over 200,000 deaths and more than two million infections are registered in relation with the pandemic. People are yet stressing about the social and economic impact of the virus, know the social problem is soaring to xenophobia which triggers violent actions against foreigners, as well as negative social representations of immigrants, refugees and migrants.In the early days of the virus, some nations across the world had angry eyes on Chinese citizens pretending that they are the origins of the disease. Notable individuals including leaders and physicians also were part of the discrimination targeting Chinese and black people. For example, US president symbolizes the pandemic as “Chinese virus”. A French physician also expressed his wish to test a medicine to the virus on Africans. These are personal thoughts against some people or races. However, when the thought is expressed by notable individuals, it will garb tensions. Moreover, such wrong perceptions also induce extreme racism.
The recent incident in China is part of this wrong perception. Africans have faced bad times in the southern Guangzhou, tackling with xenophobia prohibited from marketing and renting house. The cause is the soaring number in the resurgence of coronavirus imported cases inChina by “foreign nationals.” Therefore, the discrimination induced by the perception that entails blacks are bringing the disease to the Asian country.
Accordingly, African ambassadors in china complained about the discrimination via written document to respond to African claims on discrimination after xenophobic violations despite the denial by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Irritated by the prejudice, some Africans are also calling for their governments to take counter reaction by evacuating Chinese citizens from the continent. An article published on Foreign Policy on April 15 indicated that a Kenyan MPcalling for his government for immediate removal of all Chinese nationals in Kenya.
The socio-economic relations between China and Africa have been growing for years and reached at a strategic partnership. Africa is an increasingly important market for China’s private investors, especially in the technology sector. China is also Africa’s top creditor, having lent an estimated of 152 billion USD to nearly 50 African states between 2000 and 2018. Economic realities, compounded with the destabilization caused by COVID-19, demand that Chinese officials assuage African concerns.It is believed that the Chinese people who live in Africa are high in number than the Africans who live in Beijing. Despite the economic interrelations, china needs to reevaluate its wrong action against the black people who live in China for the sake of its own people living in Africa.What is more amazing is the Chinese are accusing of blacks for transmitting the pandemic while the virus is officially originates from Wuhan believed to be caused by contacting or eating wild animals.
On the other hand, Africans on social media including notable individuals were expressing their support standing with china in the fight against the epidemic at the time when the other world accuse the country as a hatching machine of the virus. Furthermore, it is other races not blacks that are entering to china in high number while the resurgence is soaring. However, xenophobia is encouraging some Chinese individuals to discriminate Africans as the major transmitters and perhaps as the origin of the virus. This might help to cover own problem at the expense of Africans. Or it can be taken as looking for a lost or missed material at the wrong place. But it might grab unexpected social, economic and diplomatic failure. Closure of international trade relations due to lockdowns will cause economic declines.
Similarly, the restriction of movements and dissemination of wrong information about bad culture of meal type and serving systems might put hurdles on the social relations. Having this in mind, aggravating the stigma and discrimination is a wrong action. No one knows the end result of this global pandemic. So far, the virus spread across the globe. It is yet warning and spreading regardless of all efforts to stop it. The overall consequence might degrade the wealth of all nations. It might also equalize both the developed and undeveloped nations if it continues with the same pace.
Therefore, standing together is the ultimate solution to halt the spread of the virus. Supporting one another is core of the prevention scheme as the virus harms each nation’s capability either in economic or social cooperation with other nations. Of course, problems habitually grab conflict. However, defamation and judging someone as guilty without evidence cannot be a solution as the only solution is global cooperation on raising awareness and sharing medical equipment and other resources. The good thing is the virus might strengthen strategic diplomacy as it helps nations to check their foreign policies in finding out their good partners who reach to them in their bad times.
The Ethiopian Herald April 28/2020
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
