National Liaison Committee for International Students (NLC), the national peak body for all International Students, confirmed with Chinese Emabassy in Canberra on the official position of the Chinese government on Chinese Students Safety in Australia.

In the wake of the murder of ZHANG Yu in Hobart on Tuesday 30 June 2009, NLC talked with Terry FIELD, Chief of Staff to Tasmanian Premier David BARTLETT immediately.

NLC also brought direct attention to Chinese Ambassador ZHANG JunSai that afternoon. Minister Counsellor (Education) WANG YongDa in Canberra confirmed with NLC that he would follow up with Chinese Consulate in Melbourne.

On Thursday 2 July 2009, NLC received the correspondence from Counsul LIU Jin of Chinese Embassy in Canberra. The correspondence is as follows:
 
Dear Choo Mark,

Pls check our position on Chinese student safety.

As a real achievement in bilateral educational exchange and cooperation, there are over 130,000 Chinese students in Australia. They have on the whole had good study and living environment in Australia, but attacks on Chinese students also occurred in recent years.

The Chinese Embassy and consulates in Australia attach high importance to the safety of Chinese students, and have all along maintained effective contact and cooperation with competent authorities 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.

On the recent case:

The Chinese Embassy in Australia and the Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Chinese student Yu Zhang, who studied in Tasmania. The Embassy and Consulate are following closely the case and will do their utmost to provide consular service.

We have asked the university to properly handle the aftermath of the incident and required the police to promptly bring those who committed the crime into justice.

The Chinese side once again calls on the Australian Government and competent authorities to take more effective measures to ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese students in Australia.

The Embassy and Consulate would also like to remind the Chinese students across Australia to heighten vigilance against attacks and accidents.

Regards

LIU Jin