Despite receiving harsh comments and criticism for the infamous skit during Spring Festival Gala, China said that they are promoting China-Africa ties and in fact, those who have criticized are only engaging a plot aimed at undermining the two countries' relationship.
The skit featured a Chinese actress in blackface playing as an African mother during the Spring Festival Gala. According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, the skit is not at all racist and China has always been opposing any form of racial discrimination. Shuang also accused the Western media for hyping up the incident.
"Recently many media, especially Western media, have reported on and commented on this matter," Geng said, according to a Reuters report.
"I want to say that if there are people who want to seize on an incident to exaggerate matters, and sow discord in China's relations with African countries, this is a doomed futile effort," he continued, adding that China-Africa relations were now unbreakable having weathered many storms.
"How relations are between China and Africa and whether or not cooperation is good, African countries and the people of Africa know in their hearts exactly how things stand," he added.
According to a report, not only Western Media threw some criticism on the infamous skit. Many Chinese netizens also slammed the skit saying it made them feel "embarrassed" and "awkward." However, the criticism of the gala was already censored on Weibo.
