Coronavirus: Education groups urge Beijing to lift travel boycott

Australia’s international education sector is pleading with Beijing to lift its travel boycott on Chinese visitors coming to Australia.

“It is Australia’s unfriendly attitude, not the travel alert, that may really scare away Chinese tourists and students,” the Beijing mouthpiece the Global Times wrote.

Australia’s international education sector is pleading with Beijing to lift its travel boycott on Chinese visitors coming to Australia as the Communist Party’s mouthpiece publication the Global Times warns the step is merely the “the tip of the iceberg” in a worsening relationship.

The International Education Association and the Group of Eight universities will both lobby the Chinese embassy in Canberra over the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s warning at the weekend to its citizens that they avoid Australia because of racist attacks.

But the Global Times – an outlet considered a leading propaganda tool of the government in Beijing – wrote on Monday that Australia’s positions on Hong Kong, foreign investment and a global investigation into the origins of coronavirus also played a role in the travel advice.

“It is Australia’s unfriendly attitude, not the travel alert, that may really scare away Chinese tourists and students,” the Beijing mouthpiece writes.

“If Australia wants to retain the gain from its economic ties with China, it must make a real change to its current stance on China, or it will completely lose the benefits of Chinese consumers. The tourism loss may be just a tip of iceberg in its loss of Chinese interest.”

The tourism and international education attacks by China come weeks after the CCP imposed tariffs on Australian barley farmers and suspended imports from four abattoirs.

A loss of Chinese students after the pandemic lifts and international borders re-open would likely increase the loss of nearly $12bn universities are expecting from the current restrictions on entries from China.

The Group of Eight – representing the top universities in the country – plans to send a letter to Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jengye asking for his nation to reconsider the advice.

International Education Association chief executive Phil Honeywood said he would be reaching out to the Chinese government to lift the advice, saying 35 per cent of all foreign students who come to Australia are Chinese and their parents would be swayed by Beijing’s advice.

“Through word-of-mouth, Chinese families are well aware Australia is a safe study destination. (But) they are not likely to want to rock the boat with Chinese authorities by ignoring such travel advice,” he said.

“Given that China is our largest market and counts for 35 per cent of our full fee-paying international students, the industry will be lobbying to ensure that this travel advice will be lifted as soon as possible.”

English Australia chief executive Brett Blacker said 27 per cent of all enrolments in English-language schools were Chinese – often as a precursor to entering university – and the Beijing boycott could harm the chances of his members saving hundreds of jobs.

“We certainly want reconsideration on this decision from China. It’s of significant concern … China is our number one source country,” he said.

“We are facing huge jobs losses as it is because of the international border closures … this would make any recovery on the other side even more difficult.”