Riley Moore, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has said that China has no right to dictate America’s foreign policy. Moore made the statement while reacting to China’s criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of military action in Nigeria, which Trump described as a measure to “protect Christians from persecuti0n.”
On Wednesday, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that “as Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partner, China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and thre@tening other countries with sanctions and force.”
In response, Moore dismissed China’s position in a post on X, calling the Asian nation a communist autocracy. “President Trump is absolutely right to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suff3ring h0rrific pers3cution, and even martyrdom, for their faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Moore wrote. “China will not dictate our foreign policy to us, and we will not be lectured to by a Communist autocracy that recently arrested 30 Christian pastors for their faith and throws ethnic minorities in concentration camps.”
Christian K!llings: China will not dictate our foreign policy to us and we will not be lectured to by a Communist autocracy – US lawmaker slams China over remarks about Nigeria
The confrontation underscores growing tensions between Washington and Beijing, driven by competing visions for global influence. While China has become the leading trading partner for many African nations, its foreign policy, under President Xi Jinping, is guided by principles such as mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, and peaceful coexistence.
By contrast, U.S. influence on the continent has been strained in recent years due to foreign aid cuts, tariffs, and internal political divisions. The U.S. State Department maintains that American foreign policy must serve national interests, asking of every initiative: Does it make America safer, stronger, or more prosperous?
Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU) have both reaffirmed their support for Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging the international community to stand by countries in the region in their fight against terr0rism.
