China has advised its citizens not to travel to Australia amid an increase in anti-Chinese sentiment in the Island nation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism published a statement on its website on Friday saying that discrimination and violent behavior against Chinese and Asians are on the rise due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
The ministry told Chinese tourists to be on alert for their safety and not travel to Australia.
The warning from Australia’s largest trading partner follows the imposition of tariffs on barley shipments after Prime Minister Scott Morrison led calls for an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan.
The Australian government on Saturday refuted the claims saying;
“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”
“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.”
