A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Abuja tried to reassure increasingly anxious Nigerians that Beijing has no plans to use loans as a way to seize strategic assets. Press Officer Sun Saixiong addressed the ongoing controversy over a contentious clause in a contract that a lot of Nigerian politicians, journalists, and citizens mistakenly believe compromises the country’s national sovereignty. Instead, the clause calls for the waiver of immunity in the event of a commercial dispute that will require arbitration. 

“There is nothing like that [China taking over property]. The inclusion of a sovereignty clause is a common practice in many international commercial agreements,” said Sun in a phone interview with Nigerian journalists. “We see the issue as more of Nigeria’s internal affairs.”