Are black people being banned from bars in Beijing?

Last week, the South China Morning Post reported that black people and Mongolians were being banned from bars in Beijing during the Olympics. (A copy of the article is here if you don't want to register.) Bar owners claimed that they were being forced to sign agreements to exclude black people from their premises as part of a crackdown on 'undesirables'.

The Chinese government denied the story and some local bloggers have expressed doubt about it too. However, some black residents in Beijing have claimed that they often have to pay double the price to get into bars and, once they are in, are not allowed to sit down.

An overt ban on black people in bars and restaurants would surely be a crazy thing for the Beijing government to do, especially as it is trying to increase its influence in Africa. It's no good inviting your friends like Mugabe and al-Bashir over for a masterclass in oppressing dissidents if they can't get served in a restaurant afterwards.

I suspect that this might be one of those covert bans. Low ranking officials have probably been ordered to implement it so that the regime can distance itself from any fallout. That way the authorities can exclude 'undesirables' from bars in Beijing without upsetting the regime's proxy rulers in Africa.

That said, if past events are anything to go by, some Chinese people don't need much of an excuse to be nasty to black people.

Comments

[Monty]

Oh dear oh dear, this simply will not do you know.

You can't go round citing examples of chinese racism. It must be covered up at once.

Only white anglo-saxons can be racists, as any fule no.

[bernard]

The Japanese are certainly a 'race', but the generic term 'black race', to the Chinese, would probably include some Arabs, & Indians too.
A more accurate usage would be- colour prejudiced, a term much used in the 50s/60s.

[Moomintroll]

I remember how angry the race relations industry used to get over any sporting event with apartheit South Africa. So if we do not wish to appear total hypocrits we should withdraw from the Beijing Olympics (assuming the stories to be true. Perhaps we couls also cancel the 2012 London Olympics (oh please!).