On December 12, the 14th monthly lecture on consular protection was delivered online.
The online lecture is designed to enhance protection and ensure safety. At present, the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continues to spread in Africa. Moreover, the security situation in Nigeria is becoming more complicated and volatile. Armed kidnapping, robbery and other violent crimes that pose security threats to Nigerians and foreign nationals are commonplace. In response to the urgent need of Chinese nationals in Nigeria, the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality designed a targeted lecture by inviting Xia Liping, professor of China Foreign Affairs University, to give an open course on the topic of "Consular Protection and Ensuring Personal and Property Safety in Africa". The lecture is designed to spread knowledge on consular protection, Covid-19 response in foreign countries, and measures for overseas security risk prevention, help compatriots in foreign countries enhance awareness of consular protection, and improve their capacity to prevent and handle emergencies. More than 200 representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises and institutions in Nigeria and overseas Chinese attended this "Class on Cloud".
During the online lecture, questions were answered, doubts were removed and hearts were connected. Being far away from home, the representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises and institutions and overseas Chinese in Nigeria who participated in the online open course were excited to see their fellows, and had quite a lot of questions to ask, such as: "In Africa, what should we watch out for while traveling during Christmas or other festivals?" "How should companies maintain community relations during local traditional festivals and activities?" "How to guard against violent crimes such as terrorist attacks or kidnappings?" "What aspects should be taken into consideration when companies are making their own emergency plans?". Based on actual cases, professor Xia analyzed the specific causes of each problem and provided advice on how to handle them. She also answered questions raised by representatives with useful tips.
A platform for development is built through mutual assistance. This event is not only a lecture on overseas safety knowledge, but also a beneficial exploration of building a platform of interaction and communication for enterprises in Nigeria. In the discussion section, the attended company representatives exchanged experiences on ensuring safety and shared good practices with each other, such as holding targeted safety lectures, collecting safety information from multiple channels, improving emergency plans, setting up emergency meeting locations according to actual needs, and conducting multiple emergency drills.
Wang Jingxi, secretary of the China General Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria, said, "This event inspired the participating companies and compatriots in Nigeria. Professor Xia vividly explained the importance of security protection in foreign countries through lucid explanation of cases, which enhanced everyone's protection awareness and helped all of us learn more about how to deal with risks."
Chen Hui from the Northwest Africa Regional Headquarters of China Energy Engineering Group said, "At present, we are constantly improving our emergency response plans. The professor's instructions and one-on-one guidance today are very constructive for the company's future operation and development in Africa."
The Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality will continue to follow the needs of overseas Chinese in Africa, and establish a real-time communication mechanism, so as to provide people with access to consultation and respond to their calls at all times. The office will listen to the voices of people, learn about people's needs, and resolve people's difficulties. Moreover, the office will further implement the people-centered foreign affairs policies, let everyone feel safe and rest assured, spread the knowledge of consular protection, make concrete efforts to improve our citizens' capability of ensuring safety while in foreign countries, and build a strong line of defense for ensuring people's security overseas.
