China's embassy in Canberra has issued a warning for protection after claims from a couple of "insulting incidents" has been directed at Chinese students living in Australia.
Over the weekend, a message has been posted by the embassy to its website, warning about "a rising number of insulting incidents" and urged students to report any safety problems.
Prior to that, the Chinese consulate-general in Melbourne made a similar announcement, and according to a report in the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, it states that "Recently, attacks and insults targeting Chinese students have occurred in different places in Australia."
"Therefore, we warn all Chinese students in Australia to keep alert of possible danger and call the police and embassy if such incidents occur."
The astonishing messages are believed to be in response to the three Chinese students that have been bashed at a Canberra bus station in October.
The incident alerted the Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye to visit the students at Canberra College and express the Chinese government's "serious concerns" over the violence.
The warning also comes after racist flyers - suggesting Chinese students would be deported - were found in two Melbourne universities in July.
Furthermore, China has about 170,000 nationals studying in Australian universities, schools and colleges.
The warning is the latest fiasco between China and Australia after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pointedly declared that he would "stand up" against Chinese interference in Australian politics by announcing tougher espionage laws.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, Australia needed to "shake off their Cold War mentality and bias against China".
"We are shocked by the Australian leader's remarks, which lack principle and simply pander to those irresponsible reports by some Australian media," he said earlier this month.
"Imbued with bias towards China, these groundless and unfounded remarks can sabotage China-Australia relations and are detrimental to the foundation of mutual trust and co-operation.
"We are strongly dissatisfied with those remarks and have lodged stern representations with the Australian side."
