Canberra: China is upping the ante in its diplomatic clash with Australia, warning its students to reassess the risk of studying in the nation due to racist attacks.
“During the outbreak, there were a number of discriminatory incidents against Asians in Australia,” China’s education ministry said on Tuesday, reminding students “to carefully assess the risks in deciding whether to study in or return to Australia right now.”
The advisory comes just days after Beijing issued a travel warning about Australia for all its citizens. While Australia is still blocking international leisure travelers and students from entering the country due to the pandemic, the warnings could have a big impact on the nation’s economy should they remain in place when borders reopen.
The statement was the first warning this year about studying in another country. In 2019, China’s education ministry issued a warning about studying in the U.S., citing tighter visa restrictions and issued a notice in 2018 telling students in Australia to be vigilant about personal safety after several incidents of crime.
In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that while some major Australian universities plan to begin welcoming students back to campuses in July, the virus has not been “completely controlled” overseas. China is Australia’s largest education services export market, worth A$10 billion ($7 billion) in 2017, and last year more than 200,000 Chinese students studied in the country.
Trade Tensions
China is Australia’s largest trading partner but there are increasing signs of a widening rift between the nations after Prime Minister Scott Morrison led calls for an independent probe into the origins of Covid-19, which was first reported in Wuhan.
Beijing responded with verbal attacks, accusing Australia of doing the bidding of its main military ally, the U.S. New tariffs on Australian barley and a ban on beef from four meatworks have raised fears in Canberra that the Chinese government is using “economic coercion” in retaliation.
Australia announced Friday that it will implement a tougher screening regime on foreign investors seeking to buy sensitive assets, with telecommunications, energy, technology and defense-manufacturing companies to be included in the zero-dollar threshold for screening.
A report released Tuesday showed that Chinese investment in Australia plunged 58.4% last year to A$3.4 billion — the lowest level since 2007. – Bloomberg
Also read: China warns citizens against travelling to Australia over ‘safety’ concerns as ties sour