China has joined India in raising concerns over a spate of attacks on foreign students in Australia, asking Canberra to provide better protection to ensure their "legitimate rights".
In the wake a a recent surge in violence on Indian students here, Chinese embassy counsellor Liu Jin said his government was actively intervening to ensure safety of their nationals.
"There are over 130,000 Chinese students in Australia. They have on the whole had good study and living environment, but attacks on Chinese students also occurred in recent years," Liu told the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
While he declined to list the number of attacks and where they had taken place, his statement raised worries in the education sector over the future of the 15.5 billion Australian dollars overseas student industry.
Chinese students are one of the largest communities studying in Australia.
"It is hoped that the Australian government will provide better protection to international students from China and other countries and ensure their legitimate rights in Australia," Liu said.
Universities fear that Australia's third-largest export industry is at risk of crippling sanctions from the Chinese and Indian governments, according to the report.
Universities Australia's lead vice-chancellor on international issues, Daryl Le Grew, said the industry was dangerously close to sanctions.
"We need to assure the Indians and Chinese that we are taking real steps to address these problems," he said.
In a bid to undo the damage caused to its image by the recent incidents, Australian government has created a taskforce led by Prime Minister's national security adviser Duncan Lewis, to co-ordinate response to the violence.
Indian High Commissioner Sujatha Singh along with the consul-generals in Melbourne and Sydney, will meet all Australian deputy vice-chancellors today to discuss their concerns over students' safety.
New South Wales Premier, Nathan Rees also told the state Parliament that he would meet representatives from the Indian student community, from the education sector, police, government and India's consul-general, to discuss the issue.
