An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight filled with medical supplies donated to Africa from the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation arrives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 22, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong met with ambassadors or representatives from more than 20 African countries in China Monday, according to a statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Chen discussed China's stance and efforts in detail, reiterating China's friendly policies toward Africans. China will continue to support Africa until it succeeds against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. 

The Chinese people always see in the African people partners and brothers through thick and thin. China-Africa friendship is unbreakable as it is deeply rooted in this land, Chen said. 

In terms of China's policies on international arrivals amid controversy over management of Africans in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with reports alleging discrimination against Africans, Chen said that Guangdong, as an open province, faces a huge risk of imported cases. Only strict management and plugging all loopholes can the province sustain the hard-earned achievements in the battle against the epidemic. It is a responsible move not only to Chinese people but to foreigners including Africans in Guangdong.

African envoys also stressed that China and Africa are good brothers and partners and issues in Guangzhou can be resolved through communication between the two sides. No external force can damage the good development of relations between China and Africa, they said.