The Kate McClymont (SMH 26 Mar 2020) wrote that Chinese property developing group Greenland scoured Australia to purchase bulk medical supplies - including masks, gloves and thermometers etc which were flown to China. The actual event occurred at the height of Wuhan epidemic in early February when China desperately needed help from the humanitarian point of view. Overseas Chinese especially those with relatives and friends in China, trying to help out is a very normal thing. Just like the Chinese Australians raised funds etc to help our bushfire victims.
Sadly, the good intentions of some Chinese Australians who raised funds to provide much needed humanitarian aids in the early stage, to fight the Coronavirus in Wuhan, were being singled out along the same vein by so called award-winning journalist Nick McKenzie (SMH 31 March 2020) and other media outlets.
Our first reaction was that we should be thinking of the world is but one nation and trying to learn from the mistake and help one another. We should fight together to contain and defeat this pandemic which affect everyone without no limit to borders, races and beliefs etc. It is not time to blame for blame set. Yet anyone with a twisted mind can cook up something just to imply that these noble transactions can have sinister motives.
Such deliberate and sensational moves by the Fairfax media and other are consistent with an agenda to demonize China including justification in the use of the headline “China virus” even when China is now trying to help the world with her experience and resources.
However, to the 1.2 million Chinese Australian, the perception is simply racists and can be traumatic both mentally and physically.
These innocuous articles and news generated angry responses from several Chinese Australian community leaders in the social media as follows:
In particular, a fiery response was noted from Robert Chong OAM AM, twice Mayor of Whitehorse City and past President of Federation of Chinese Associations of Victoria.
“Some journalists & newspapers are so Anti-China that they forget their professionalism, reputation & correct facts reporting, thus stirring up racial hatred & Anti-Chinese feelings in the country. SHAME! In contrast, the report by Marcus Reubenstein (APAC 26March2020) wrote that “The Sydney Morning Herald’s top journalist in a misleading beat-up wrongly suggesting Chinese-Australians are robbing the community of vital medical supplies”. The front page of one of Australia’s major broadsheet newspapers carries a story attacking a Chinese-owned property group in Australia for sourcing medical supplies and sending them to Wuhan. The report, written by multi-award winning journalist Kate McClymont, strongly suggests this hoarding and sending of medical equipment to China is happening right now. This is deliberately false and appears to be part of the Herald’s (and its sister publication, Melbourne’s The Age) ongoing campaign of attacking any person or business in Australia with links to China.”
Robert Chong added: “The important now is to look into the present and future. I may add to work together to stop the virus. But the issue is the journalist and the newspaper were trying to demonize the Chinese business company in Australia doing morally reprehensible business, which is completely false.”
Mike Yang, a formal adviser to Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, a notable young Chinese Australian community leader in Melbourne on the attack: “I am so sick of those halfwits who keep defending their attacks on Chinese Australians based on the vaguest “links” to China by saying “no Chinese people, this is not racist, this has its own merits!”. Well then, let’s look at this issue purely on its own merits, you numb nuts.”
Anthony Leong, a Chinese Australian community leader whose family has been in Australia since 1899 said: “What angered me as well was the hypocrisy of this report at the very time, generous and humanitarian people from around the world were attempting to help Wuhan. Even here in Melbourne, events, lunches & gatherings were held to support and donate to China. The exact time of the McClymont report was when we had a lunch in Lt Bourke Street.
I was called out yesterday for being a Commo because I said this was plain racist & dog-whistling in the guise of journalism and a "gotcha" moment... which it wasn't. While I care not one iota for being called anything, the blatant white superiority complex makes me so angry at the wilful, ignorant blindness to anything good for or by the Chinese. Instead, these mealy-mouthed, pious apologists for racism attempt to say this is about the CCP and not the Chinese, failing to realise that if it were not for the CCP, China would have had the disaster *and worse* which is now befalling on the US & UK. Arrant bull....”.
These bigotry and “racist” allegations by the SMH and other, do not auger well for the 1.2 million Chinese Australians. In their effort to demonize China and the CCP for geopolitical reasons, they have sacrificed the good intention and well-being of Chinese Australians in an ugly and cruel way. We should be sending the strongest signal to the newspapers or boycott them for their lack of independent reporting as all true Aussies respect them to be.
Dr Tony Pun OAM, National President CCCA
Dr Ka Sing Chua, National Senior Adviser CCCA
