Australian scholars worry about land-based hundreds of billions of international students in the industry

As Sino-Australian relations deteriorate, Australian academics are beginning to worry that Beijing could punish the Australian industry by restricting international students, following restrictions on agricultural and forestry products and minerals by China and the suspension of the Strategic Economic Dialogue mechanism. Australia is now highly dependent on Chinese students, with more than A$10 billion (about T$220 billion) worth of output each year, and once banned, the extent to which Australia's education industry could not be imagined.

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In Chinese mainland geopolitical, the economic and technological showdown with Western countries, controlling the flow of international students could become one of Beijing's policy options, and the Australian study industry is likely to be the next target of China's punishment, VOA quoted academics at the Australian National University as saying.




The report quoted the report as saying that in terms of economic contribution, the influence of Chinese students in Australia is comparable to traditional export industries such as iron ore, natural gas and coal, and is an essential industry of more than A$10 billion. If Beijing imposes restrictions on this, it will hit Australia's education industry hard but do minor damage to China itself.




"The Australian economy as a whole, including the Australian education sector, is incredibly dependent on the Chinese market," said Benjamin Herscovitch, one of the report's authors and a researcher at the Australian National University's School of Regulation and Global Governance. We are increasingly looking for alternative markets and are becoming acutely aware of the political risks of relying heavily on the Chinese market.



Before the new crown outbreak, Chinese students generated A$12 billion a year in revenue for Australia, the report said. By comparison, Australia's top three annual exports to China are iron ore (about A$63 billion), natural gas (A$17 billion) and coal (A$14 billion).




The paper argues that, in this way, the education industry will be China's next target for the Australian economy, as China has imposed restrictions on imports of Australian coal and has yet to find alternative sources of Australian iron ore.




Australian academics say Chinese officials have repeatedly warned their citizens to study in Australia in recent years. In April 2020, the Chinese ambassador clarified that Chinese consumers might choose to avoid four Australian products: wine, beef, tourism and education. It comes at a tense time for Sino-Australian relations as Prime Minister Morrison pushes for a "new crown source inquiry."




"Parents may think that this place, which they don't think is so friendly or even hostile, is not the best place to send their children, " Cheng Jingye, China's ambassador to Australia, said in an interview at the time. More than a month later, on June 9, 2020, the Ministry of Education of China issued the No. 1 study alert for the year, reminding students of the many discriminatory incidents against Asians in Australia during the outbreak and that international student should do an excellent job of risk assessment and choose their destination carefully.




Heskovich said that similar to the negative news situation in the United States, the land media also used the negative news in Australia to influence Australia's public perception. "And countries like Australia or the United States, committed to the values of transparent and open liberal democracy, should be honest about our shortcomings and the problems in our society, and ultimately that is the only way we can address and overcome them."