Australia Rejects China's Campus Racism Warning

Australian officials and leading universities on Wednesday rejected China's claims that students should be "cautious" in choosing to study Down Under because of concerns over racist incidents during the coronavirus pandemic.

China's ministry of education warned students on Tuesday there had been "multiple discriminatory incidents against Asians in Australia" during the pandemic, ramping up diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

The advisory was the latest in an escalating dispute between Beijing and Canberra that was deepened by Australia's call for an independent inquiry into the origin and handling of the coronavirus in Wuhan last year.

Beijing reacted furiously to the demand, targeting Canberra on several fronts, including tourism, trade and now Chinese students, the largest overseas group in Australian universities.

Australian Education Minister Dan Tehan hit back on Wednesday, saying the country was a multicultural society that welcomed international visitors.

"Our success at flattening the curve means we are one of the safest countries in the world for international students to be based in right now," he said.

"We reject China's assertion that Australia is an unsafe destination for international students."

Racism toward Asians has reportedly increased during the pandemic, with the New South Wales anti-discrimination commission saying instances included people being bullied for wearing a face mask, spat at and harassed in public, and racist language written across cars and private property.

Vicki Thomson, chief executive of Australia's prestigious Group of Eight universities, said they would "be very concerned" if Beijing's warning deterred students from coming to Australia.

"We've had no evidence provided to us that there are issues of racial discrimination occurring on our campuses, and I think it's worth noting that we don't have a lot of students on our campuses at the moment," she said.

Thomson lamented that the sector had been "caught in the middle" of geopolitical tensions.

Australian universities are already facing massive losses as an indefinite coronavirus border closure locks out the foreign students who pump billions of dollars a year into the sector.

Education is Australia's fourth-largest export – behind iron ore, coal and natural gas – with more than 500,000 international students enrolled last year, bringing about A$37 billion into the economy. (AFP)