Beijing/Abuja — China has called on the international community to uphold Nigeria’s sovereignty, issuing a direct warning against “military threats” and interference following a highly publicised threat of military action from the United States.
The diplomatic spat centres on comments made by President Donald Trump, who recently warned he would deploy military forces to Nigeria if the alleged “genocide against Christians” was not halted, a claim Nigeria’s government has repeatedly denied.
China Supports Nigeria’s ‘Own Development Path’
Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Mao Ning, Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, firmly stated China’s position:
“As Nigeria’s strategic partner, China opposes any attempt by foreign powers to use religion or human rights as a pretext to meddle in another country’s internal affairs or impose sanctions and military threats.”
She reiterated China’s backing for the administration of President Bola Tinubu, commending the government for pursuing a development path tailored to its national conditions. The statement is seen as a clear show of solidarity with Abuja amidst the diplomatic tension with Washington.
The US Threat
The Chinese remarks follow President Donald Trump’s recent public warnings. The US leader designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) on religious freedom grounds and subsequently stated that if the Nigerian government continued to “condone the killing of Christians,” the US would halt all aid and “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists.”
The Nigerian government has strongly rejected the US allegations, stating that the characterisation of the country as religiously intolerant does not reflect its national reality or its ongoing efforts to safeguard religious freedom for all citizens.
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