The Chinese in Ghana might not be the mythical oriental fire-breathing creature in horror movies or fiction but the troubles they have generated are beginning to cause a diplomatic tension.
One of them lost his life in a recent security crackdown by security agents who are said to be on a six-month covert operation against the illegal mining activities in the country.
Another story which was later disputed by the Ghana Immigration Service stated that a Chinese had died in the custody of the security agency.
A group of Chinese reportedly pulled firearms on some villagers a few months ago and the police had to move in and to restore normalcy.
We are saddened by the loss of life emanating from the crackdown. We wish nobody died in the crackdown and that a better management of the problem was adopted. It is a sad incident and a regrettable one at that and we pray it is not repeated.
In the field of diplomacy, frictions of this sort are bound to occur here and there, but when they do, especially involving loss of a life, our ability to scale over the challenges posed determines our dexterity at containing challenges of such magnitudes.
We hope the security agent did not deliberately shoot to kill the Chinese, which unfortunately is the impression his compatriots appear to be harbouring, especially in China.
The Chinese People?s Daily report in Beijing about the incident has not helped matters, as it is somehow inciting the deceased?s compatriots against Ghanaians. With a sizable number of Ghanaians in that country, some students and others businessmen; it is our hope that the unfortunate incident would not have the Chinese rise against their guests.
In the global village which today?s world is, such frictions are not in anybody?s interest, and the earlier a sort of rapprochement is arrived at, the better will it be for both countries.
The body language of the Chinese envoy in Ghana and his position that Chen, the deceased, died while fleeing from the security agents was suggestive of dissatisfaction and therefore calls for a probe.
It is in this direction that we feel elated by the announcement from the Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chris Kpodo, that the circumstances surrounding the death of Chen are being investigated.
It would also be in our interest as a nation to take another look at the rate at which entry visas are being issued to Chinese to come to this country. We are not averse to such visits but when the terms of the visas are breached in the way we are beginning to see many of our Chinese guests do, we must be disturbed and call for a review.
