Chinese pro-democracy students in Australia have faced threats from the Chinese government and Australia is failing to protect them, according to a report Tuesday from Human Rights Watch.

Harassment and intimidation of Chinese students in Australia have worsened in recent years, HRW noted. Many students’ free speech and academic freedom are threatened as they fear being reported to Chinese authorities by fellow classmates.

Lei Chen described to HRW the challenges of studying in Australia while feeling the presence of the Chinese government.

“I have to censor myself," Chen said. "This is the reality. I come to Australia and still I’m not free.”

HRW verified three cases in which police in China visited or asked to meet with the Australia-based students' families about their activities. The Chinese authorities threatened one student with jail after the student opened a Twitter account and posted pro-democracy messages. Another student, who expressed support for democracy in front of classmates in Australia, has since had their passport confiscated by Chinese authorities upon returning home.

According to a report by Study In Australia, international education is one of Australia’s top exports, contributing $40 billion Australian dollars ($30 billion U.S. dollars) to the nation's economy in 2019. Before the pandemic, Chinese students accounted for almost 40% of Australia's international students.

Australian universities have yet to make concrete recommendations to protect the safety and well-being of Chinese students.

"If Australia is to remain a destination for world-class education, we need to be far more self-reflective and long-sighted about what Australian international education offers: global citizenship and transnational mobility. We need to listen to the voices of an increasing middle-class in China," Hannah Soong, an education lecturer at the University of South Australia, wrote in The Conversation in March 2018.

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