Chinese study agents have said they do not recommend studying in australia and threat to transfer thousands of overseas students to the uk, while australia`s industry is in trouble because of a dispute with its biggest trading partner.
The comments are the first sign that the ministry of education`s warning on tuesday will have an impact on consumers, and the study agents are now accusing australia of discriminating against foreign students as a cash cow.
The country is the largest source of overseas students for Australian universities, and any decline would hurt Australia`s eight league schools plus the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Sydney University of Technology (UTS) about $3.1 billion in income from Chinese students.
Ms. mo, chairman of the beijing study abroad agency Austlink, who has spent 15 years in the australian market, said the deterioration in bilateral relationship would "cause incalculable economic losses to australia ".
"If Australian politicians don`t get lost and continue to be American followers in the name of values, neither Chinese tourists nor foreign students will go back ," she said. "
"I hope Australia can change its attitude towards China. If a country only likes Chinese money, but does not like the Chinese people, China is certainly not willing to do business with it. "
Ms. mo sends 2000 international students to australia each year. Unless bilateral relationship improved, she said, she would consider "developing the UK market ".
Among the eight major league schools, Chinese students account for about 60% of the total source of foreign students, with the University of Sydney accounting for 69%, the University of New South Wales for 66%, the University of Melbourne for 56% and the University of Monash for 57%. The Royal University of Technology in Melbourne accounts for 37% and the University of Science and Technology in Sydney for 53%. Among Australian educational institutions ,73% of Chinese students are sent to China.
An analysis of the number of students enrolled and the financial situation of universities shows that in 2018, the 10 universities had about 110,000 Chinese students, worth about A $3.1 billion, accounting for more than half of the total income of A $5.4 billion that these schools received from foreign students.
Luke Sheehy, executive director of the alliance university of technology alliance, including RMIT and UTS, said that during the new crown epidemic, colleges and universities gave priority to the well-being of their students that the campus was a "vibrant, safe and pleasant place ".
"International students are an important part of our community and we would like to welcome all students, including those from China and overseas, back as soon as possible ," he said. "
According to Ma Yu, an education marketing consultant bound to have a huge impact on students` willingness to study abroad ," said Ma Yu, an education marketing consultant with Australia International.
"Parents are very concerned about their children`s safety and will definitely put safety first ," she said. "
The upgrade is china`s latest move to stop citizen from studying abroad, says Salvatore Babones, associate professor at the university of sydney and an independent research centre and scholar.
"I don`t think our university should expect to have many Chinese students throughout the 2020s ," he said. China government wants citizen to stay in domestic universities to prevent capital flight. "
Trade minister Birmingham (Simon Birmingham) said the leave of Chinese students was a loss for both Australia and China.
"In the long run, this will not help to enhance mutual understanding between our two countries ," he said. "
The University of Wollongong was the first Australian university to have a negative rating outlook on Wednesday. Global ratings agency Standard & Poor`s (S&P) has warned that its financial position could worsen if it fails to mitigate the loss of income caused by the decline in the number of students enrolled on shore.
S & P reiterated the University of Melbourne`s stable rating, but warned there could be downward pressure if travel restrictions continued until 2021.
Manning (John Manning), vice president of ratings agency Moody`s (Moody`s), said China`s recent travel advice to foreign students highlighted the vulnerability of Australian universities to geopolitical tensions between China and Australia.
"Next year`s income will depend largely on easing travel restrictions associated with the new crown ," he said. In the long run, as many universities are among the world`s top schools, we expect Australian institutions to continue to appeal to foreign students. "
A survey by Navitas education provider of 400 study abroad agents in 63 countries found that Australia`s success in curbing the epidemic made it a more attractive destination for study abroad, while Britain and the United States suffered a loss of reputation.
Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye warned in April that Chinese consumers could boycott Australian products including beef, wine, travel and study abroad. Since then, wine has been the only industry not yet targeted.
