The African community in Guangzhou is on edge after widespread accounts were shared on social media of people being left homeless this week, as China’s warnings against imported coronavirus cases stoke anti-foreigner sentiment.

In the southern Chinese city, Africans have been evicted from their homes by landlords and turned away from hotels, despite many claiming to have no recent travel history or known contact with Covid-19 patients.

CNN interviewed more than two dozen Africans living in Guangzhou many of whom told of the same experiences: being left without a home, being subject to random testing for Covid-19, and being quarantined for 14 days in their homes, despite having no symptoms or contact with known patients.

Health authorities in Guangdong ​province and the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

The move comes amid heightened media coverage of the so-called second wave of coronavirus cases, emanating from infections outside of China. Earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to carefully watch for imported cases from ​other countries, state news agency Xinhua reported.

But one aspect of the data has received relatively less public attention: on March 26, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Luo Zhaohui said 90% of China’s imported cases held Chinese passports.

On Thursday afternoon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: “Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, China and African countries have always supported each other and have always fought against the virus jointly.

“I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government treats all foreigners in China equally, opposes any differentiated practices targeted at specific groups of people, and has zero tolerance for discriminatory words and actions.”

Cases spark a backlash

Guangzhou has long had the largest African community in China. Because many Africans in the city have short-term business visas, they travel into China several times a year, making it difficult to calculate the size of the African population the city. But in 2017, approximately 320,000 Africans entered or left China through Guangzhou, according to Xinhua.

African residents say local hostility to their presence is nothing new. But when coronavirus cases emerged in the African community this month it served to amplify existing tensions.

An African in Guangzhou is tested for coronvirus at his apartment.

A report on April 4 alleged that a Nigerian national with Covid-19 had attacked a Chinese nurse who tried to stop him leaving an isolation ward at a Guangzhou hospital​. The report was shared widely on social media, and local Africans CNN spoke to say a racist backlash against the African community ​followed.

Then on April 7, Guangzhou authorities said five Nigerians had tested positive for Covid-19.

Fearing a cluster among the African community, Guangzhou authorities upgraded the risk level of Yuexiu and Baiyun, the areas home to the city’s two African enclaves, from low to medium, state-owned Global Times reported.

​The local government Tuesday reported 111 imported cases of Covid-19 in Guangzhou, with 28 patients from the UK and 18 from the US. In interviews with CNN, Americans and British nationals in Guangzhou said they had not heard reports of forced testing, home evictions and additional quarantine measures being imposed on members of their communities.

On Saturday, however, the US Consulate in Guangzhou warned African-Americans to avoid travel to the city.

“In response to an increase in Covid-19 infections, officials in the Guangzhou metropolitan area escalated scrutiny of foreign nationals,” the consulate said in a statement. “As part of this campaign, police ordered bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appear to be of African origin. Moreover, local officials launched a round of mandatory tests for Covid-19, followed by mandatory self-quarantine, for anyone with ‘African contacts,’ regardless of recent travel history or previous quarantine .

Source: CNN

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei says the Australian government has banned it from providing 5G technology for the country’s wireless networks.

It said fellow communications firm ZTE had also been banned, both reportedly because of national security concerns.

“This is a extremely disappointing result for consumers,” the company said on Twitter.

Faster data download and upload speeds are promised with 5G, which is the next stage of mobile internet connectivity.

Wider coverage and more stable connections than current 4G technology are also highlighted as benefits.

What’s the issue?

Several countries are preparing for the roll-out of 5G mobile networks, although analysts say few will launch 5G services before 2020.

Mark Newman, from the consultancy ConnectivityX, said: “5G is going to be the next significant wave of mobile infrastructure deployment.

“If existing suppliers are banned, it will be quite a major blow for them.”

Huawei is the world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment. It also ranks second in global smartphone sales, behind Samsung and ahead of Apple.

In July, a UK security committee warned that it had “only limited assurance” that Huawei’s telecoms kit posed no threat to national security.

The UK’s cyber-defence watchdog – the National Cyber Security Centre – has also warned that the use of ZTE’s equipment and services could pose a national security risk.

Image caption

Huawei has a larger share of the phone market than Apple

“As we move into 5G, a greater proportion of the network is controlled by software,” said Mr Newman.

“There is an argument that in this software realm, concerns about who is managing the network and where from are heightened.”

What has Australia said?

On Thursday, the Australian government said national security regulations that were typically applied to telecoms firms would be extended to equipment suppliers.

Companies that were “likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government” could present a security risk, it said.

The United States has previously banned Huawei from bidding for government contracts because of fears over espionage. ZTE has also had its activity restricted in the US.

Under Chinese law, companies must co-operate with the intelligence services. Analysts therefore warn that equipment produced by firms such as Huawei and ZTE could be compromised.

How has China responded?

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Australia should not “use various excuses to artificially erect barriers”.

It called on Australia to “abandon ideological prejudices and provide a fair competitive environment for Chinese companies”.

Huawei has defended the security of its products.

Huawei is a world leader in 5G,” the company said in a statement.

It said it had “safely and securely” delivered wireless technology in Australia for close to 15 years.

Source :BBC