A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has strongly condemned China’s caution to Washington over possible military involvement in Nigeria, stressing that Beijing has no right to influence America’s foreign policy or moral obligations.
Moore, in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, backed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to deploy military support in defense of Christian communities allegedly facing violent persecution in Nigeria. He described America’s involvement as a moral duty to uphold global religious freedom and human rights.
The News Chronicle learned that China had earlier warned the U.S. against any form of interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs following Trump’s threat of direct military action. Beijing maintained that Nigeria should be allowed to manage its internal challenges without foreign intervention. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated that China supports Nigeria’s sovereign right to determine its development path in line with its national realities, emphasizing opposition to “external interference under the guise of religion or human rights.”
In a sharp response, Moore accused China of hypocrisy, citing its own record of suppressing religious and ethnic minorities. He argued that the Communist government’s actions disqualify it from lecturing other nations on human rights or sovereignty.
“China will not dictate our foreign policy, nor will we take lessons from a regime that imprisons religious leaders and targets minorities,” he declared.
Mixed emotions have resulted throughout the world from the U.S. controversy on possible intervention; human rights activists are split on whether external military involvement would alleviate or exacerbate Nigeria’s internal tensions.
Meanwhile, Nigerian officials have asked for restraint, reminding Washington to respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and negotiate diplomatically instead than militarily. The subject keeps causing worldwide argument regarding the extent of foreign influence in national human rights concerns.
