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'Ridiculous': China's powerful rebuke to 'hypocritical' Aussies

Chinese state media has accused the Australian government of inciting hatred towards Chinese and Asian people.

The latest scathing editorial from Beijing mouthpiece the Global Times continues its narrative shared with China's Foreign Ministry that Australia is unwilling to own up to its supposed racism problem.

Reporter Li Qingqing argued Canberra is hiding behind the concept of free speech to allow discrimination to run rife in a nation that has a "deeply rooted" racism issue dating back to the introduction of the White Australia Policy.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, which coincided with a significant downturn in Sino-Australian relations, Beijing has claimed a surge in racist incidents towards people of Chinese origin in Australia.

People of Asian ethnicity in Australia.
One in five Asians in Australia said they had been threatened or attacked in the last year, research found last month. Source: Getty

Last month following a Lowy Institute report that found one in five Chinese-Australians had been physically threatened or attacked in the past year, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on Australia to "own up" to its racism problem.

Mr Morrison previously dismissed a warning from Beijing to its nationals in Australia of increased racism as "rubbish".

Australia's Covid, Xinjiang stance 'increases racism'

Yet the Global Times' editorial on Thursday went as far as to claim that Canberra's "groundless" and "nonsense" positions on alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and disputing the integrity of the WHO-China investigation into the origins of Covid-19 encouraged racism.

"Australia is condoning the instigation of hatred and hostility against Chinese people by letting these rumours spread unchecked," it said.

It suggested Canberra's repeated vocal position on multiple Chinese matters was blatant Sinophobia.

"Some Western elites try to use so-called freedom of speech to justify their badmouthing China, while at the same time, they claim that none of this is aimed at Chinese people and they are against racism.

"This seems very hypocritical and ridiculous."

Scott Morrison sits in the House of Representatives.
Scott Morrison previously dismissed a warning China issued to its residents about racism problems in Australia. Source: Getty

The opinion piece referenced the defence of artist Luke Cornish's exhibit in Canberra which pictured Chairman Mao as Batman.

"Some in Australia regard anti-China as political correctness, and the disguise of freedom of speech does not justify this," the opinion piece said.

"When the Australian government is taking the lead in ignoring, condoning or even inciting hatred against Chinese and other Asians, those empty anti-racism slogans and demonstrations will only prove the hypocrisy of Australian politics."

In December, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) slammed the Global Times continued coverage of Australia as "inaccurate and inflammatory".

Yahoo News Australia has contacted DFAT for comment following latest editorial from the Global Times.

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