Daily US Times: China has warned it’s students to consider the risks of studying in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic, escalating political tension between the nations.
Chinese education minstry has issued the advisory to students before Australian universities reopen in July. The ministry cited the threat of Covid-19 and discrimination against Asians as possible risks.
Australia’s universities and government have rejected the idea the country is unsafe.
Beijing said in a statement on Tuesday that students should be “cautious” when choosing to go or return to Australia.
The ministry said: “The spread of the new global Covid-19 outbreak has not been effectively controlled, and there are risks in international travel and open campuses.”
“During the epidemic, there were multiple discriminatory incidents against Asians in Australia.”
Australian Education Minister Dan Tehan said in response that the country was a “successful, multicultural society” which provides a “world-class education”.
He also made reference to Australia’s success in flattening its virus curve which meant that it was “one of the safest countries in the world for international students to be based in right now”.
Studying in Australia is big aim to Chinese students, data proves that.
What are the broader tensions?
The advisory marks the latest escalation in tensions between Australia and China during the coronavirus pandemic.
Relations between the two countries worsened after Australia echoed the US in calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, first detected in China late last year.
China dismissed that call as politically motivated. It has since blocked shipments and imposed a tariff of some Australian imports, but has denied this is economic retaliation.
Last week, China also warned citizens against travelling to the country, saying there had been a “significant increase” in racist attacks on Asian people in Australia.
Education and tourism are Australia’s significant contributors to the economy and the country’s third and fourth biggest exports overall.
Government numbers show that students from China represented 28% of the more than 750,000 international students in Australia last year.
During the pandemic, Australian universities have already faced financial difficulties, as border closures have deterred international students. Several institutions have acknowledged that they are facing financial crisis.
Australian universities could lose A$12bn ($8.3bn; £6.5bn) over the next two years if Chinese students decide against studying in the country, Prof Salvatore Babones at Sydney University has estimated.
Simon Birmingham, Australia’s Tourism Minister, said China’s assertions about the dangers to tourists had “no basis in fact”.
However, government bodies, media outlets and community groups have all catalogued hundreds of racist attacks and abuse on Asian people in Australia since the pandemic began.
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