China warns against travelling to Australia after ‘sudden rise’ in violent attacks
- Tourists should ‘raise their awareness of safety precautions’ after increase in ‘discriminatory actions’ linked to Covid-19 pandemic, culture ministry says
- Canberra refutes allegations, saying Australia is a ‘safe, welcoming and amazing destination’
“There has been a sudden rise in discriminatory and violent actions against Chinese and Asian nationals due to the coronavirus outbreak recently,” the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement issued on Friday night.
“The ministry reminds Chinese tourists to raise their awareness of safety precautions and avoid travelling to Australia,” it said.
The Australian government on Saturday refuted the charges.
“Millions of tourists from all corners of the world demonstrate their confidence in Australia as a safe, welcoming and amazing destination by visiting each year, often returning multiple times,” Canberra said.
“We reject China’s assertions in this statement, which have no basis in fact. Our rejection of these claims, which have been falsely made by Chinese officials previously, is well known to them.”