China has lashed out at Australia in yet another scathing attack as tensions between the two nations continue to deteriorate.
Accusing Australia of ‘genocide’, Hu Xijn, editor-in-chief of communist mouthpiece The Global Times, posted the inflammatory remarks online.
‘What’s genocide?’ he tweeted to his 447,600 followers on Wednesday.
‘Massacring native Americans and Aboriginal Australians, forcing people colonised to speak English, French, Spanish, transforming their way of life, these are genocide, right?’
The controversial tweet comes in the wake of worldwide condemnation of the Chinese government’s treatment of its Uighur minority.
International experts claimed the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighurs violated ‘each and every act’ prohibited by the United Nations’ Genocide Convention.
Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin (pictured) didn’t mince his words in a thinly-veiled swipe at Australia on Wednesday
The Global Times editor-in-chief accused Australia of committing genocide (tweet pictured)
‘Uighurs are suffering serious bodily and mental harm from systematic torture and cruel treatment, including rape, sexual abuse, exploitation, and public humiliation, at the hands of camp officials,’ the US report states.
Beijing has also accused Australia of ‘meddling’ in its affairs by granting former Hong Kong pro-democracy politician and activist Ted Hui Chi-fung a 12 month tourist visa.
Mr Hui, 38, who is wanted by Beijing after fleeing Hong Kong while on bail touched down in Darwin this week, which sparked an angry response from the Chinese embassy in Canberra.
It comes eight months after after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison first offered ‘safe haven’ visas for Hong Kong citizens of up to five years.
The Global Times has published countless thinly-veiled swipes at Australia since Mr Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
The arrival of Ted Hui Chi-fung (pictured) in Darwin this week has sparked a new war of words between China and Australia
Mr Hui is holed up in mandatory hotel quarantine after touching down in Darwin on Tuesday, three months after fled Hong Kong for London while he was free on bail on protest-related charges.
The 38-year-old fled Hong Kong for Europe in December while he was free on bail on protest-related charges.
He’s one of few foreigners who’s been allowed to enter Australia in the last 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Fui’s arrival has prompted a furious response from the Chinese embassy.
‘Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong, and every bit of Hong Kong affairs belongs to China’s internal affairs, in which no other country has the right to interfere, an embassy spokesman told The Australian.
‘The Chinese side urges the Australian side to stop meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs and China’s internal affairs in any way. Otherwise the China-Australia relations will only sustain further damage.’
Mr Hui thanked the federal government for intervening after arriving on a flight from London with repatriating Australian citizens.
The Global Times’ editor-in-chief’s controversial tweet comes in the wake of worldwide condemnation of the Chinese government’s treatment of its Uighur minority. Pictured are supporters of the Muslim Uighur minority
An international report has claimed Chinese government’s treatment of Uighurs violated ‘each and every act’ prohibited by the United Nations’ Genocide Convention. Pictured are supporters of China’s Muslim Uighur minority in Istanbul, Turkey
‘Honestly, it’s very hard to get here because of the border closure,’ Mr Hui told the ABC.
‘I actually couldn’t get any flights on the commercial market so I had to ask the Australian government for assistance and they were so kind for facilitating situations and they put me on the list and gave me the eligibility so that I could actually get on a repatriation flight with other Australians going home.
He vowed to continue campaigning against the Chinese Communist Party.
‘I believe it is an important move for free countries in the world to try and do that,’ Mr Hui told The Australian.
‘That is relatively more realistic for governments to consider, rather than getting into a trade war with Beijing. Of course, I will also be lobbying for less reliance on trade with Beijing.’
Mr Hui added ‘applying for asylum’ in Australia ‘would be my last option.’
Pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung (pictured with a scuffle at the House Committee’s election of vice chairpersons) fled Hong Kong in December while on bail
Relations between the two trading partners have deteriorated since Mr Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Another recent scathing editorial in the Global Times accused Australia of being a part of ‘US-centered, racist, and mafia-styled community’ due to its intelligence ties with the likes of Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Australia is part of Five Eyes, a long running intelligence alliance with the three nations as well as New Zealand.
The alliance was described as ‘a fake international community with an axis of white supremacy’ by the publication.
‘They have formed a US-centred, racist, and mafia-styled community, willfully and arrogantly provoking China and trying to consolidate their hegemony as all gangsters do,’ the scathing editorial states.
‘They are becoming a racist axis aimed at stifling the development rights of 1.4 billion Chinese.’