Chinese embassy denies stopping issuance of visas to Nigerians

- The Chinese embassy in Nigeria dismisses reports claiming that it has suspended the issuance of visas to Nigerians intending to travel to China

- Sun Sai Xiong, the spokesperson for the embassy says the consulate has not stopped the issuance of visas to Nigerians intending to travel to China

- Sun notes that the Chinese government is committed to safeguarding the lives of Nigerians and other nationals living in that country

The Chinese embassy in Nigeria has dismissed reports claiming that it has suspended the issuance of visas to Nigerians wishing to travel to China.

The spokesperson for the embassy, Sun Sai Xiong, denied that the consulate suspended its operation as earlier reported.

Sun told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, February 4, that the consulate had not stopped the issuance of visas to Nigerians intending to travel to China.

The embassy’s spokesperson, however, stated that the Chinese government was committed to safeguarding the lives of Nigerians and other nationals living in that country in the face of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the Asian country.

The embassy said that effective measures had been taken in China to contain the coronavirus scourge in the country.

Zhou Pingjian, the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Nigeria, said China was not only safeguarding the health of its people, but also that of other people around the world.

“Life comes first. The Chinese government is committed to safeguarding the lives and health of the Chinese people," he said.

“We will, in a responsible manner, safeguard the life of every foreign nationals in China and address their legitimate concerns in a timely manner.

“We will continue to strengthen communication and coordination with the international community and work hand in hand for the prevention and control of the epidemic.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that the acting secretary CHd F. Wolf explained the ban was in line with Executive Order 13780 signed by President Donald Trump in 2017.

According to the order, the global travel security bar was raised by the US and countries had to meet the new standard.

The DHS stated that on Nigeria's part, the country "does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.

Apart from Nigeria, the ban also affected Eritrea, Myanmar, and Kyrgyzstan. With this ban, citizens from the affected countries will not be allowed to apply for visas to immigrate to the U.S.

In a related development, the presidency faulted the claim by a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, that Nigeria was one of the few African nations that joined the US-led coalition during Operation Desert Storm between 1990-1991 when the United States championed the liberation of Kuwait.

Atiku made the claim in a thread of tweets when he expressed his reservations over the recent travel ban on Nigeria by the government of the United States.

But in its reaction, the presidency corrected the narrative by pointing out that Nigeria did not participate in Operation Desert Storm.

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The presidency went further by stating that the sentiments being expressed by Atiku did not represent reality, noting that Nigeria continues to enjoy productive relations with the US.

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Source: Legit.ng