Anti-Chinese turn revealed in Australia

Survey links reports of discrimination to pandemic and souring bilateral ties

Australians may like to think that they are racially tolerant, but a recent survey showed that if you are of Chinese origin you are more likely to face discrimination or hostility in the country.

The survey titled "Being Chinese in Australia: Public Opinion in Chinese Communities", unveiled by the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based foreign affairs think tank, found a sizable number of Chinese Australians saying they experienced discrimination over the past year. Most cited the COVID-19 pandemic and a downturn in Australia-China relations as key contributory factors.

The study, one of the largest such exercises pertaining to the Chinese in Australia, revealed that 18 percent of the Chinese-Australians respondents had been physically threatened or attacked in the past year.

Also, more than a third of them (37 percent) had been treated differently or less favorably because of their heritage in the past 12 months, and 31 percent of the respondents had been called offensive names.

When asked about factors that contributed to these experiences, 66 percent pointed to the pandemic and 52 percent blamed the poor relations between Australia and China.

The survey, released last week, showed how COVID-19 and worsening political tensions were spilling over into discrimination.

Jennifer Hsu, one of the Lowy report's co-authors, said everyone involved in public debate should be mindful about how language can "filter down and affect the day-to-day experience of Chinese Australians".

Another co-author, Natasha Kassam, said the survey showed how ordinary Chinese Australians had been hit by mounting political tensions and resentments.

"As the broader Australian debate around China has shifted over the past year, particularly in relation to foreign interference and economic coercion, it does seem Chinese Australians have borne the brunt," she said.

More than 1.2 million people of Chinese heritage live in Australia today, with the earliest residents from China having settled there hundreds of years ago.

'Diverse experiences'

"Their experiences are as diverse as their views; many were born in Australia, with lineages that span generations of Australian history," the survey said. Others have migrated more recently from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Amid debates on foreign interference, Australia-China relations and the pandemic, the Lowy Institute's Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project conducted a nationally representative poll of Chinese Australians in November 2020.

Respondents were asked about their experiences as individuals of Chinese heritage living in Australia, including their attitudes to both Australia and China; the impact of tensions in the Australia-China relationship on their sense of belonging, and experiences of abuse and discrimination; their trust in China and interactions with Chinese government and organizations in Australia; their sources of news and information; and their attitudes toward democracy and other systems of government.

The survey found most Chinese Australians trust China and see it as an economic partner but would also support diversifying Australia's economy.

It also found Chinese Australians are positive about living in Australia, and report a strong sense of belonging to both Australia and China.

"Eight in 10 Chinese Australians (77 percent) said Australia is a good place to live, and 69 percent feel accepted as a part of Australian society in their day-to-day life," the survey found.

Hsu said: "The results of this poll show that the views and experiences of Chinese communities in Australia are diverse and varied.

"The survey reaffirms that the debates on foreign interference and trade tensions are just a part of the political events and narratives shaping the lives of Chinese Australians."