China Warns Citizens Not to Travel to Australia
June 06 2020 - 8:53AM
Dow Jones News
By Alice Uribe
SYDNEY -- China has warned its citizens not to travel to
Australia due to what it says is a rise in racial discrimination
and violence toward Chinese and Asian people there during the
coronavirus pandemic.
The travel warning issued by China's Ministry of Culture and
Tourism late Friday represents a further fraying in relations
between the two countries, which escalated in mid-April when
Australia criticized Beijing's handling over the coronavirus
outbreak and later extended into disputes over trade.
The ministry said in a notice published on its website that
Chinese tourists should be more aware of their safety and avoid
traveling to Australia.
Australian lawmakers rejected China's assertions, while noting
that Australia's border remains closed to foreign visitors as part
of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. "There hasn't
been a wave of outbreaks of violence against Chinese people," said
Michael McCormack, Australia's deputy prime minister. "It is not
true."
Australia's 28-year streak without a recession owes much to a
burgeoning trade relationship with China that was worth about $152
billion last year. At Australia's top eight universities, 1 in 10
students is from China, the highest ratio in the developed world.
Chinese account for 1 in every 4 dollars spent by tourists in
Australia, surveys show.
However, that relationship also makes Australia vulnerable when
tensions flare. Australia barred foreign nationals who have been in
mainland China from entering the country in early February,
angering Beijing. Relations soured more when Australian government
officials began seeking support from European leaders in mid-April
for an investigation into any missteps early in the crisis that
contributed to the pandemic.
In May, Beijing imposed tariffs of more than 80% on Australian
barley exports. Chinese authorities have also banned four
Australian slaughterhouses from importing meat into the country,
citing inspection and quarantine violations. China has denied the
move was meant as economic coercion.
On Saturday, Australia Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham
rejected the assertions that Chinese and Asians had experienced
racial discrimination and violence during the pandemic as having
"no basis in fact" and said this view was well-known to
Beijing.
"Australia is the most successful multicultural and migrant
society in the world," he said. "The Chinese Australian community
is a significant and valued contributor to that success story."
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 06, 2020 08:38 ET (12:38 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.