Chinese-Australians have been caught in the crossfire between Canberra and Beijing’s deteriorating relationship, a new Lowy Institute survey suggests. The think tank – which surveyed 1,000 people – found nearly one in 3 Chinese-Australians had been verbally abused over the past year, while one in 5 had been physically threatened or attacked. Before 2020, public sentiment towards people of Chinese heritage in Australia was improving, but the pandemic and growing tensions between our nations have seen things turn nasty for many. And while nearly half of Chinese-Australians said they were concerned about Beijing’s influence over Australian politics. Concerns about the rise of racism and right-wing extremism have seen growing calls for PM Scott Morrison to establish an anti-racism strategy.