Australia Perth museum changes exhibit after Chinese consulate complains

A newly-opened Perth museum has altered its exhibits after a complaint from the Chinese consulate regarding Taiwan and COVID-19.

Beijing's dispute with Canberra is spilling over into new arenas, with the Boola Bardip museum in Western Australia one of the latest.

An interactive touch-screen exhibition in the museum included a sentence saying the virus originated in mainland China and spread across the globe.

© 9News The Chinese consulate in Perth has raised a complaint about digital exhibition in the city's new museum.

READ MORE: Former PM on how to deal with 'bullying China'

But the Chinese consulate in Perth claimed that had not been proven.

Scott Morrison accuses communist leaders of 'needlessly hurting ties'

Scott Morrison said Australia's actions are 'wrongly' being interpreted by China, and that Australia should not be forced to choose between Washington and Beijing.The Prime Minister said Australia's actions are 'wrongly' being seen by Beijing through the 'lens of the strategic competition between China and the US' - and that Australia should not be forced to choose between the two superpowers.

A museum in China has changed an exhibition after complaints that the display was 'racist'. The 'This Is Africa' exhibit at the Hubei Provincial Museum Chinese state-run museum removes controversial pictures that compare black people to wild animals after being accused of racism.

Individuals in the China Consulate in Houston were filmed burning documents after being ordered shut down by the US government for accused efforts of The United States said Wednesday that it has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston “to protect American intellectual property” and the

"The issue of the origin of the virus is a serious question of science that should be studied by scientists and medical experts," a statement from the consulate read.

Australia's call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 has been revealed to be one of a list of grievances Beijing has with Australia, as was leaked to 9News last month.

© 9News The exhibition had said that COVID-19 originated in mainland China.

"This fits a pattern by China around the world," Human Rights Watch researcher Sophie McNeill said of the consulate's complaint in Perth.

"Just two months ago in France, Chinese officials attempted to change an exhibition about Mongolian history."

A second complaint about the exhibit centred on its map of China and the fact that Taiwan, which China lays claim to, was missing.

In China, nearly 1 million people have reportedly already gotten a coronavirus vaccine

China’s emergency vaccine program is a risky proof of concept for large-scale Covid-19 vaccine deployment.The vaccinations have occurred as part of an emergency use program that began in late July, though few details about it have been revealed by the Chinese government. What we do know is that as part of the program, China’s State Council authorized high-risk groups including medical workers, customs officials, and transportation workers to start receiving one of three Chinese-made vaccines — two from Sinopharm and one produced by Sinovac. But some Chinese cities have also been offering the vaccines to members of the public.

(00:00) Shred Trucks Seen At NY Chinese Consulate Chinese consulates in the US seem to be on thin ice, after the one in Houston was ordered to close.

China Consulate in Perth is located on 45 Brown Street, East Perth , W.A .6004. Its consular office hour is during 09:00 - 12:00 from Mon to Fri. Applications from ordinary passport holders should be submitted to the CVASC. The Consulate -General stopped accepting ordinary applications any more.

"There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," the consulate said.

© 9News The exibit also did not include Taiwan as a Chinese territory.

The museum chose to agree to alter the exhibit in line with the complaints.

In a statement, it rejected any claims of bowing to bullying, saying the errors were corrected in line with the museum's policy on accuracy.

"I suspected this sort of turbulence around Taiwan or other issues will be around for some time yet," Treasurer Ben Wyatt said.

Ms McNeill called for resistance.

"It's just really important that our cultural institutions don't bow to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party," she said.