China has said it has “zero tolerance” for racism after Africans and black people were banned from hotels and restaurants, evicted from their lodgings and forced to have tests for coronavirus.

The US consulate in Guangzhou advised African-Americans to stay away from the city, saying that police had told bars and restaurants to refuse to serve those who “appear to be of African origin”, and introduced mandatory tests and self-quarantine of anyone with “African contacts”.

Its warning came as videos were posted online of notes from restaurants stating that “black people are not allowed to enter”, and others of African migrants being rounded up by police in the streets.

African Union ambassadors lodged protests with Beijing over mistreatment after migrant workers complained of being evicted