China has urged the international community to respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, responding sharply to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat of military intervention over alleged Christian persecution.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reaffirmed support for President Bola Tinubu’s government, labelling external threats and interference under the guise of religion or human rights as unacceptable.
“As Nigeria’s strategic partner, China opposes any country using religion or human rights as a pretext to interfere in internal affairs, or to impose sanctions and force,” Mao said during a press briefing.
Trump escalated tensions by ordering the Pentagon to prepare for possible deployment or air strikes in Nigeria. Speaking from Air Force One, he warned that if the Nigerian government allowed continued attacks on Christians, “the U.S.A. will … go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists.” He also said all U.S. aid would be cut unless decisive action was taken.
When pressed about whether troops would be sent, Trump added: “Could be … I envisage a lot of things.”
President Tinubu swiftly rejected the narrative of religious intolerance. In a social media post, he said the portrayal of Nigeria as a nation persecuting Christians “does not reflect our national reality.” He reaffirmed Nigeria’s constitutional protections for religious freedom and said his administration would not allow such caricatures to define the country.
An adviser later clarified that Tinubu would accept U.S. assistance in counterterrorism, so long as Nigeria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty were respected.
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar added that state-sponsored religious persecution is constitutionally impossible, stressing that Nigeria’s laws protect all faiths.
China’s outspoken defence of Nigeria comes amid deepening economic ties between the two nations. Beijing sees value not only in the political alliance but also in safeguarding its growing investments in Nigeria’s energy and mineral sectors.
Africa Digital News, New York
