First, China failed to co-operate with world leaders whose countries have the most experienced epidemiologists and most advanced research facilities and best practices to deal with such deadly Coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease and has evolved in a pandemic. Second, China's misinformation campaign on known facts of the disease and its origin let us all believe the spread of the disease was under controlled and they equipped to deal with it but failed miserably. Let it be known to the world that China has once again failed to collaborate on the information of the virus and portrays itself as a fixer, all while trying to influence developing countries in the African continent by providing faulty masks and test kits. China is attempting to be seen by the world as a reliable partner, but China's sole objective is to leering African leaders into its debt trap to gain access to those African countries' natural resources and potentially loss of their sovereignty.


 While China is trying to shift the blame of COVID-19 on the Africans living and working within its borders, a grown trend of racism and mistreatment shed light on the crisis and the inhuman treatment the Chinese government has adopted to deal with Africans workers, traders, and students. The Chinese government adopt a policy on baseless claims and allow landlords to evict Africans from their apartments for no apparent reasons, and hotels, shops, and restaurants stop providing service to African, and they were forced to sleep on the sidewalk and being pushed away by the Chinese government cruelty. The Chinese government misinformation tactics and mission to establish itself as a capable economic power within Africa is proven to be nothing more than an opportunist developed nation trying to impose its footprint in areas of unexploited natural resources. 

While China claims to be a reliable partner on the global stage, their actions, and support to other nations are entirely contracting the facts and far less significant in contrast to the United States government efforts to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus that is originated in Wuhan, China. The U.S. government is supplying millions of dollars, training, and equipment to African countries to help them combat the spread of the virus. These efforts will directly help increase each nation's capabilities and capacities of its response team. Across the African continent, the U.S. government provided over $170 million to countries for COVID-19 assistance. China holds almost as much African debt as all Paris Club Countries and has not provided any debt relief to any of its African country debtors.  In comparison, this is a sharp contrast to that of the U.S. government which has provided and support debt relief and spending billions more on the African continent in support governments effort to rid their countries from decades of conflict against terrorism and especially in the East Africa region mainly fighting al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab in Somalia and neighboring countries.

Mohamed Ibrahim is a freelance journalist based in Mogadidishu

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and does not necessarily reflect the editorial policy or position of the Horn Observer