China has warned the United States to desist from interfering in Nigeria’s internal affairs following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat of military action against the West African nation.
At a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declared that China “firmly supports the Nigerian government as it leads its people on a development path suited to its national conditions.”
“As Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partner, China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs or to threaten other nations with sanctions and force,” Mao said.
The statement was in response to Trump’s announcement directing the U.S. Department of War to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria, citing the country’s alleged failure to prevent the killing of Christians in its northern region.
Trump, in his remarks on Saturday, said: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists.”
Reacting further, Mao warned that China stands against unilateral military threats, stating that “such actions undermine global peace and stability.”
“China supports efforts to combat cross-border crimes through stronger international cooperation but opposes the use or threat of force in international relations,” she added.
The Nigerian government, in its earlier response to Trump’s comments, reaffirmed that the country remains a secular state that protects freedom of religion and belief.
President Bola Tinubu, in a statement, said: “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”
