On the afternoon of April 18th, Zhang Xin, deputy governor of Guangdong, met with some  African students at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), together with Chen Chunsheng, Party secretary of Sun Yat-sen University, Alima Danfakha Gakou, consul general of Mali in Guangzhou, and officials from a number of African consulates.

There are currently 79 enrolled African students at the university, 36 of whom are currently living on campus. All of these students have finished their quarantine on campus and gotten back to normal school life. During the meeting, each of them received a bag of epidemic supplies provided by GPHL, including masks, a thermometer, a sachet, a pack of Banlangen Granules and a bottle of hand sanitizer gel.

Guangdong authorities regard the health and safety of expatriates in Guangdong as a priority, implementing undifferentiated health management measures during the epidemic and opposing firmly any discriminative acts, Zhang said.

Sino-African friendship is both deeply rooted and unbreakable in Guangdong. During the special time countering this COVID-19 pandemic, China and Africa should stand together to win the fight, Zhang added.

Guangdong’s provincial government issued an open letter in Chinese, English and French on April 17th, urging both local Chinese nationals and expats in Guangdong to join hands to win the fight against the epidemic.

Authors: Monica Liu

Editors: Olivia Yang, Simon Haywood