Opera Kitchen is still closed in Sydney, Australia, May 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
China is Australia's biggest trading partner and the two countries have a long history of good relations. It is in the interest of people from both sides to continue on good terms.
BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- After Australia issued its China travel warning in the wake of the newly adopted law in China on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, many expatriate Australians have dismissed the so-called increased risks.
According to reports by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) published last week, most expats regard the warning as politically motivated, including Geoff Raby, a former Australian ambassador to China, who described it as "provocative."
In another case, Sam Wong, chair of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum Inc., who was born and raised in Hong Kong, said Australian politicians should "know the situation of Hong Kong better," in response to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's recent baseless accusation against the national security legislation on Hong Kong.
These are just two of many examples which show the hypocrisy of some Australian politicians who are attempting to smear China with lies and push the China-Australia relationship to the brink of an abyss.
Indeed, a long list of similar anti-China claims by certain Australian politicians have proved to be nothing more than brazen slander.
Ironically, the self-claimed former "spy" Wang Liqiang, who was described by Liberal Member of Parliament Andrew Hastie as a "friend of democracy," was later confirmed in video footage to be a convicted fraudster.
Ridiculously, Morrison said in an April 3 interview that COVID-19 "started in China and went round the world," without providing any proof.
Growing recent evidence, including a study by experts from the UK's Oxford University, has shown that the pandemic could have started elsewhere before it was first reported in Asia. Besides, medical experts should be the only ones to make such a judgement after deliberate scientific studies, rather than politicians jumping to baseless conclusions.
Maliciously, several Australian politicians, including Foreign Minister Marise Payne, protested against the so-called Chinese "economic coercion" or "boycott" after the AFR carried out an interview with the Chinese ambassador to Australia. However, according to Robin Matthews, national president of the Australia China Friendship Society Ltd (ACFS), it turned out that such words actually never appeared in the interview transcript at all.
Australian politicians should understand that it will bring no good to their country and people to deliberately whip up nationalist sentiment. Demonizing China has already caused damage in the country.
An anti-China racism survey published by The Sydney Morning Herald last month suggested that Asian Australians have reported almost 400 racist attacks since the beginning of April.
Last week, a Chinese delivery rider in South Australia was filmed being punched in the face. In another video circulating on social media, an Australian woman was spewing vitriol at a Chinese couple in a supermarket.
Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2019 shows the Chinese and Australian national flags on a celebration event in Sydney, Australia. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
These are sad scenes for the many Chinese who have visited Australia in recent years, leaving with a friendly impression of the country and its people.
China is Australia's biggest trading partner and the two countries have a long history of good relations. It is in the interest of people from both sides to continue on good terms.
The ACFS, which was established nearly 70 years ago, has called for an urgent change in the attitude and behavior of Australian politicians before further, devastating, damage is done.
"Most of the statements and behaviour of Australian politicians are contrary to Australia's national interest, in that they appear to go out of their way to insult a country with whom we have built a strong friendship over a number of decades," said Matthews in a letter to the Australian government.
It is also the voice of the majority in both countries. Australian politicians should immediately stop lying and end their hypocrisy, respond to the call of integrity, and do something constructive to benefit their people and the China-Australia relationship. ■