Chongqing - On April 15, 2020, the China News Beijing station has conducted the webinar interview with Li Nan, the Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, and Yiyuan Zhu, Executive Deputy Director of the South African Chinese Police and Civilian Cooperation Center, to discuss the current situation in South Africa under the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, it also addressed the topics: how do local overseas Chinese and Chinese students fight against the pandemic? And what work has the Chinese embassy done for the local anti-pandemic fight?

China News host Xiaowei Zeng (L) in Beijing on live TV with Li Nan (M) in Pretoria, and Yiyuan Zhu (R) in Johannesburg

South Africa is currently an area that many netizens are concerned about. "Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in South Africa was posted on March 5, this year, the pandemic has developed relatively quickly, as of April 14, the number of confirmed cases in South Africa has now reached 2,415, covering nine provinces in South Africa. According to the development of the pandemic, the South African government has declared a disaster on March 15, which means a state of emergency. On March 23, the South African government decided to implement a two-week national lockdown from March 26 to April 16. On April 9, the local government considering that the pandemic situation is still critical, the South African president announced that the ban would be extended for two weeks until April 30, to the end of April. It should be said that the epidemic has caused some negative impacts on the local people, including the lives and health of our overseas Chinese compatriots in South China, including some normal production, work, and life", said Mr. Li.  

Li Nan, the Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa

China and South Africa have maintained close communication and cooperation on the issue of the anti-pandemic fight. When the epidemic was firstly outbreak in China, the Chinese embassy in South Africa, launched an emergency response mechanism, and actively promoted the two countries to strengthen cooperation in epidemic prevention. The President of South Africa, The Minister of Health, as well as other leaders in the senior party and government officials, media, think tanks, universities, and the business community have all strongly supported our anti-epidemic efforts in China. The President of South Africa has sent two letters to President Xi Jinping to express condolences and support. Afterward, we are now mobilizing all aspects of our efforts to collect anti-pandemic materials to help South Africans fight the pandemic.

"At the same time, I can be very proud to tell you that so far, there has not been a case from China to South Africa, and Chinese compatriots have infected no one in South Africa. It can be said that it is a "double zero" record. We hope that this "double zero" record can be maintained forever," said Mr. Li.

Mr. Li showing the graph and data for the pandemic in South Africa

Our embassy and consulate in South Africa attaches great importance to and pays close attention to the health and safety of our compatriots in South Africa. You can obtain assistance from the embassy and consulate through various channels. The numbers are published on our website: 0027123428826 and 12308 hotlines for help. The second is to contact the 19 Chinese police and civilian cooperation centers in nine provinces of South Africa for help. If you have any suspected symptoms in South China, you should also call the 24-hour hotline of the South African Institute of Infectious Diseases: 0800029999 to obtain professional medical services.

scan the QR code to follow the consulate general's WeChat for the most updated info

When answering Mrs. Zhu's question: What should we do if the overseas Chinese and students in South Africa are discriminated against? Through what channels can local overseas Chinese and international students seek help from the embassy or consulate? Mr. Li indicated that the prevailing public opinion in South Africa's society is friendly and objective to China, and it supports China's fight against the epidemic because this friendship between the South African people and the Chinese people has a profound foundation. "During the period of segregation struggle, the Chinese people and the South African people stood firmly together, and formed a profound friendship in history," said Mr. Li, however, he also suggested if any Chinese in South Africa encounter the discrimination, keep calm, and withdraw in time to avoid physical conflicts. Call the police in time or afterward, and report the situation to the overseas Chinese community or overseas Chinese consulates to protect the legal rights.