Australia turning away Chinese students because of military training at Chinese universities

VERBALISTS EDUCATION news – We keep you informed on your education journey!

Australian border officials, who presumed that mandatory military training organized by Chinese universities was equivalent to actual military training, sent back home the Chinese students for failing to disclose this history.

China protested to Australia for turning back Chinese students who had flown in to Sydney for not disclosing they had undergone mandatory military training at Chinese universities.

It is compulsory for students at Chinese universities to go through a short period of military training at the start of their first year. This university military training, otherwise known as junxun in Chinese, typically lasts from seven to 24 days. Its purpose is to engender a sense of patriotism and collectivism, rather than being full-on combat training. However, Australian border officers have recently been cancelling visas and repatriating Chinese students for not disclosing this training.

In response to the entry refusals, China has expressed a formal complaint to Australia, with Chinese foreign ministry requesting Australia stop doing this.

Until the pandemic, Chinese students made up roughly a third of foreign intakes at Australian universities.

---