The once-quiet comments section on the Australian Embassy in China’s Weibo page has seen a spike in activity over the past week amid tensions between Canberra and Beijing.
Both countries have engaged in a war of words following calls by the federal government for an independent inquiry into the origin and spread of coronavirus.
Earlier this week, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Jingye Cheng warned that there might be economic consequences if Australia kept pursuing the call for an investigation, which prompted a backlash from Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham who said the country was
As a result of the back and forth, angry netizens have voiced their dissatisfaction with Australia in messages written in Chinese on the embassy’s Weibo page, including on a Wednesday post about Australia’s travel restrictions, which attracted more than 2,200 comments.
A screenshot of the Weibo post on the Australian Embassy in China's account. Source: Weibo
This comment alone received 2,330 likes.
Another commenter took aim at Australia’s handling of the bushfire crisis, saying: "The [bushfires] have affected the air quality in China, please cede Tasmania to China! Australia must pay."
Some accused Australia of doing the United States' “bidding", including one commenter who said: "Australia is the US' lapdog. A dog is not entitled to talk with people."
Accounts run by Australian media outlets, including SBS Mandarin, have also experienced a similar backlash.
Comments under the Weibo post. Source: Weibo
One post by SBS Mandarin on Weibo about the Morrison government’s support for an investigation into coronavirus has received more than 36,000 views and more than 150 comments.
"Why doesn't the Australian government investigate the US? Australia is full of arrogance and prejudice, it has no friendly intentions towards China," one commenter said.
A screenshot of a Weibo post by SBS Mandarin. Source: Weibo
Another commenter called for cooperation between the two countries: “We shouldn't seek hostility, we should seek cooperation and development.”
But this comment was shot down by another person, who said: "Tell that to Australia, China has always been friendly with Australia."
Journalist's critique goes viral
A video of an April 28 exchange between Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang and an Australian journalist during the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference has received extensive attention on Weibo.
In the exchange, Will Glasgow, a reporter from The Australian questions the Chinese authority’s comments that the Chinese public is upset with Australia’s push for an investigation.
The journalist added that as an Australian living in Beijing, he had not heard any Chinese person outside of the Communist government or its embassy in Canberra, criticise Australia.
Mr Glasgow dismissed Mr Shuang's suggestion that he should use Chinese social media more to understand the Chinese public better, saying that he did not trust online comments as they can be “made up or manufactured”.
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