The Chinese consulate-general in Melbourne on Tuesday issued a warning to Chinese students, encouraging them to take more safety precautions amid increasing attacks and insults targeting Chinese nationals in Australia.
"Recently, attacks and insults targeting Chinese students have occurred in different places in Australia, therefore we warn all Chinese students in Australia to keep alert of possible danger and call the police and embassy if such incidents occur," read the announcement.
The warnings appear to be the Chinese authorities' latest countermeasure against several anti-Chinese incidents that took place recently in Australia. Earlier in July, racist flyers directed at Chinese students were found at two Melbourne universities, which indicated that Chinese students were not allowed to enter the campus buildings, otherwise they would be deported. In October, an attack on Chinese students in Canberra, which saw one hospitalized, also infuriated Chinese communities in Australia.
"Over the past 11 months, some Australian politicians and media have been obsessed with one thing, that is, criticizing China...Some Australian political figures and media are going even further to hype Chinese resentment and China containment," read a Xinhua article which was posted on the consulate's official website on Dec.9.
"I don't feel surprised that anti-Chinese resentment can find its spot in Australia, as the county's leaders have publicly declaimed China with groundless accusations on many occasions. I feel very disappointed, but I believe that Australians are generally friendly and kind to us," Zheng Mengqi, a 25-year-old Chinese student living in Sydney, told People's Daily Online.
The consulate's warning quickly went viral on Chinese social media. A relevant post tweeted by People's Daily on Sina Weibo garnered over 1,000 likes and 600 comments within 30 minutes, with many Chinese netizens criticizing Australian authorities for tolerating such racist actions.
"I'm totally disgusted by such racist attacks. Australia should take action to protect Chinese students, as well as stopping slashing China with irresponsible accusations," said a netizen on Sina Weibo.
According to Xinhua, there are about 200,000 Chinese students studying in Australian universities and schools, which is a good source of fund for those Australian institutions.
