Embassy in Guinea urges Chinese to stay alert after apparent coup
- Chinese advised to stay calm and stay indoors after soldiers claim to have seized power
- China has key investments in Guinea, including under its Belt and Road Initiative and big investments in iron ore reserves in the Simandou mountains
The Chinese mission called on its citizens in the country to be vigilant after gunfire broke out in the capital Conakry early on Sunday and soldiers claimed on state television they would rewrite the constitution and dissolve the government.
“The Chinese embassy once again reminds Chinese citizens in Guinea to remain calm, temporarily refrain from going outside, pay attention to the surrounding situation and increase safety measures,” it said on Monday. “Please contact the embassy if there are any emergencies.”
The elite army unit said it had detained the nation’s longest-serving president, Alpha Condé, and announced it would enact a nationwide curfew and close the country’s borders. While the Guinean defence ministry said it had repelled the takeover from the presidential palace, Condé’s status was not immediately clear.
The events in Guinea have sparked widespread concern in the region and abroad.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a regular briefing on Monday that Beijing opposed the coup and requested the immediate release of Condé.
