The Chinese government has rebuffed President Donald Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria over the alleged targeted killings of Christians, cautioning the U.S. authorities against meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign state under the pretext of “human rights.”

Fielding questions from journalists on Tuesday, Mao Ning, spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry, denounced Mr Trump’s remarks at a presser in Beijing.

China, which prides itself as “Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partner” and largest lender, said Mr Trump had no business interfering in Nigeria’s internal affairs.

“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 threatening other countries with sanctions and force.”

The Chinese government declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s government, stressing that his administration must be allowed to “lead its people on the development path suited to its national conditions.”

Ms Ning’s statement comes months after the U.S. government rebuked two Chinese citizens, Zhang Hong Lin and Zhao Pei Hai, arraigned in a Nigerian court over allegations of smuggling and illegal mining of the West African nation’s mineral resources.

Washington and Beijing have been at loggerheads and on the brink of a trade war after Mr Trump imposed new tariffs on Chinese imports. Beijing retaliated with a series of restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals, materials crucial to the production of weapons, phones, electric vehicles, and other products.