‘Do not travel to Australia’: China tells citizens not to go Down Under because of ‘increasing racial discrimination and violence’ towards Asians in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic
- China urges travellers to avoid Australia over claims of coronavirus racism
- Travel industry said Chinese and Asian people were being targeted with violence
- Chinese tourists were reminded their ‘enhance their safety awareness’
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
China has urged its travellers not to visit Australia over claims of widespread racism in the wake of the coronavirus.
The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement on Friday that ‘Asian people’ were being targeted with racial discrimination and violence.
‘Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial discrimination and violence against Chinese and Asian people in Australia have seen a significant increase,’ the statement said.
China has urged its travellers not to visit Australia over claims of widespread racism in the wake of the coronavirus
The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement on Friday that ‘Asian people’ were being targeted with racial discrimination and violence (pictured, Chinese president Xi Jinping)
‘The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reminds Chinese tourists to enhance their safety awareness and do not travel to Australia.’
Asians of various backgrounds have said they have been harassed since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, including in the United States.
China issued a warning to tourists traveling there earlier this year after some said they were mistreated in connection with the outbreak.
Incidents involving racism have made headlines in Australian media over the last few months.
An irate woman screamed racist abuse at Telstra workers and told them to ‘go back to China’ after they asked her questions to ensure coronavirus safety in April.
Video footage showed the shopper scream at the floor manager inside the store at Miranda, in Sydney’s south.
At the time, Prime Minister Scott Morrison publicly addressed the incidents.
‘It was the Chinese Australian community that actually protected Australia so early on in this virus outbreak around the world,’ he said.
‘The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reminds Chinese tourists to enhance their safety awareness and do not travel to Australia,’ the statement read
‘Sure the virus started in Wuhan, in China, that’s what happened, that’s just a fact.
‘But that doesn’t mean that this was, it has any nationalistic, or or any other sort of characteristics to it.
‘That’s just where it started.’
More to come