Coronavirus: Chinese deputy envoy to Zimbabwe torches storm after taking a dig at the UK

24 Avril 2020

Harare, Zimbabwe, April 24 (Infosplusgabon)  -  Chinese deputy ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhao Baogang, Friday torched a diplomatic storm by saying no Zimbabwean national had died in China from COVID-19, unlike in the United Kingdom (UK) where 29 had lost their lives.

In the now deleted tweet on micro-blogging website, Twitter, on Friday, Baogang tweeted: “No Zimbabweans died in China due to COVID- 19. We take good care of them. 29 Zimbabweans die of COVID-19 in UK.”

This was in response to an article by the Zimbabwe state run daily newspaper, The Herald, quoting the Zimbabwe Embassy in the UK stating that at least 29 Zimbabweans living in Britain had died of COVID-19, mostly nurses and other medical staff.

In the article, the embassy said while it had no official figures, it “has been able to gather information from the Diaspora community and religious leaders, cluster leaders, affected individuals and the media, on Zimbabweans who have passed on due to COVID-19”.

As economic woes increased over the years in Zimbabwe, a large number of locals fled to the UK in search of greener pastures.

Among them were a huge number of nursing and medically qualified Zimbabwean personnel.

The tweet, against the UK, comes at a time when it is the leading donor of COVID-19 aid in Zimbabwe, having provided US$44 million to Zimbabwe.

The aid has been channeled through the United Nations Children's Fund, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, and United Nations Development Programme.

Exiled former Zimbabwe cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo described Baogang and his tweet as racist on his Twitter account.

“This ‘revolutionary’ Chinese friend of the rogue regime is undiplomatically and proudly celebrating Zimbabwean deaths in the UK due to #COVID19 in such an insensitive way that would get him sent back to his racist homeland in any other country with a proper & legitimate government!,” Moyo said.

“The racist diplomat from racist China has deleted his offensive, outrageous and totally unacceptable tweet as if he does not know that the Internet, or rather @Twitter, does not forget. This @zhaobaogang2011 must go!”

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/ASD/GABON2020

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