The claim: Over the last few days, a video of a group of Asian men queueing at the entrance of an airport has gone viral on social media with the claim that Chinese nationals have been asked to leave Angola within 24 hours after accusing them of “laundering mineral resources and destroying environment.” In the video, the man recording it can be heard making comments in Portuguese about China and Angola, although there is no claim in the video itself about Chinese nationals being allegedly asked to leave the southern African country.
Fact check:
- News search
There are no news reports from mainstream media organizations in Angola or outside corroborating this claim. Searching for China-related news on prominent Angolan news media outlets throws up news reports regarding recent events or developments in the bilateral relationship. For instance, on August 2, national broadcaster TPA reported about Chinese private investment generating over 5,000 jobs in the Novo Sao Paulo commercial project in Luanda, Angola.
On August 5, Angolan daily O Pais reported about a ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Angola marking the 98(th) anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Both Angolan and Chinese officials attending the event hailed the bilateral relationship and vowed to further strengthen ties.
- Visual analysis
With respect to the video itself, a close look at the opening frames indicates that it was shot at the Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Angola’s capital of Luanda.
However, other factors indicate a disconnect between what is seen in the video and the mass-expulsion claim. Firstly, Angola is home to tens of thousands of Chinese nationals. A video of a few dozen Asian men at an airport doesn’t indicate an exodus. Moreover, the person recording the video doesn’t even make an allusion to the claim while speaking for over two minutes. Meanwhile the people in the video are smiling and waving at the camera, which is not the behavior of someone who has been deported.
- Source analysis
Reverse searches through online search engines show that the video was first shared by multiple Angolan influencers and news portals on July 30. In their social media posts, users noted that a few Chinese nationals may have temporarily left Angola due to security reasons after protests against fuel price hikes turned violent in parts of the country. Some Angolan users expressed fear that security issues might see the country lose out on foreign investment. It is this same video that has subsequently gone viral this month with an entirely different claim.
Background:
It must be noted that parts of Angola saw protests spiral into violence from July 28 to 30. By the end of the three-day protests, 22 people had lost their lives in the violence, according to Angolan authorities. Peace has subsequently been restored, and normal life has resumed across the country, according to multiple media reports. According to the news outlet VerAngola, “warehouses owned by Chinese merchants remained under heavy protection” even on July 31, the day after the violence was finally brought under control. This may explain a perceived high level of threat among foreign establishments and residents. Given this backdrop, the social media posts saying that a few Chinese nationals left Angola temporarily—and voluntarily, it must be stressed—offer a plausible explanation.
Verdict: As the news reports and recent events in Angola show, the country continues to deepen its bilateral ties with China. The claims of Angolan authorities asking Chinese residents to leave are false, and the video is out of context.
Primary Fact Checker: Bhargab Sarmah
Secondary Fact Checker: Chen Zhouyi
