More on Africans and Racism in Guangzhou

The Council on Foreign Relations blog posted on 15 April 2020 a commentary titled "Despite New China-Africa Tension, Beijing Has a Pivotal Role to Play in China's COVID-19 Recovery" by Stephen Paduano, London School of Economics.

The situation Africans faced in Guangzhou during the COVID-19 crisis is one of the few occasions when several African leaders have criticized Beijing publicly on any issue, although that criticism has quieted down. This is not, however, the time for Western officials to pile on. The author adds that China still has an important role to play in helping to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

My comment: The West is not credible in Africa on most matters related to China, including this one. Africans, in this situation, are perfectly capable of making the case against China on their own and they are credible. African officials may tamp down their criticism in order to avoid harming relations with Beijing; the African street is likely to have a long memory.