Nigerians in China

Nigerians in China
Total population
10,000 (2014)
Regions with significant populations
Guangzhou[1]
Languages
Chinese, English, Nigerian English, Igbo and other languages of Nigeria

Nigerians in China are the expat population from Nigeria living in China.

Population

According to Nigerian Senator David Mark on a delegation visit to China in May 2014, there are about 10,000 Nigerians living in China.[2] Nigerians are concentrated in Guangzhou, a city in the Guangdong province with a large population of Africans.[1] Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Gu Xiaojie in 2015 stated Nigerians are the largest African population in China.[1]

History

Incidents involving local police and Nigerians have sparked riots in 2009 and 2012 by the African community in Guangzhou.[3] In 2009, two Nigerians escaped a police raid on illegal immigrants by jumping through a window. Both men were hurt and rumors of their deaths led to the first riot by any immigrant group in Guangzhou.[3] In 2012, a Nigerian died in police custody after being held in a dispute after fighting with a taxi driver.[4] The reaction by the African community once again escalated into a riot.[3]

Reputation

"There are many of them there and with that notoriety about Nigerians, and you know they are very loud, they will be smoking marijuana openly in another man's country, that is ridiculous."

Ambassador Sola Onadipe[5]

According to Sola Onadipe, the Nigerian Ambassador in Beijing from 2014-2016, Nigerians living in Guangzhou are "notorious for nefarious activities with hard drugs", provocative public behavior, and illegal immigration.[5] During an interview in February 2014 with the Vanguard, a Nigerian daily, the Ambassador lamented that while there are many migrants in Guangzhou from neighboring African countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana and across Francophone Africa, the police didn’t bother those communities, concentrating on the Nigerian community due to high levels of crime and misbehavior.[5] Nigerians were overrepresented among the suspects arrested in a major drug crackdown in July 2013. The raid on the Linhua Hotel (Dragon Hotel) in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou was carried out by 1,300 police officers. The Guangzhou Public Security Bureau arrested 168 suspects, most described as citizens of Nigeria and Mali, and found heroin, methamphetamines, and a large sum of money.[6] Nigerian Ambassador stated that more than 50 of the arrested held Nigerian passports.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Nigerians constitute biggest African population in China, says Ambassador". Sundiata Post. August 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nigeria-China Relations Deepen As Senator David Mark Visits Chinese Parliament". Africa Independent Television.
  3. 1 2 3 "Strike Hard Against Immigration: China's New Exit-Entry Law". China Brief. November 22, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Elebechi Celestine, 28-year-old Nigerian in China dies in police custody". Online Nigeria. June 21, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Nigerians' notoriety in China is unprecedented - Ambassdaor Onadipe". The Vanguard. February 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Guangzhou police smash West African-led drugs ring". Global Times. 2013-08-14.
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