American-born Australian columnist and TV host Rita Panahi has said that Chinese people are the "biggest victims" of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, which has received global condemnation for human rights abuses.
During a programme on Sky News.com.AU, the host said that Australians know very well that most people of Chinese descent who are in Australia have got absolutely nothing to do with the Chinese communist regime.
"In fact, the biggest victims of the Chinese Communist regime are Chinese people - they are the ones who get locked up if they say anything against their government," she said.
"They are victims and I think most Australians can distinguish between the regime and the individual."
While, Tony Sheldon, the Labour Senator, who was also present during the show, said that the Chinese in Australia has played an important role in 200 years.
"Chinese in Australia have played an important role in 200 years. I think we (Australians) are just like everybody else. Sometimes some people are racist and some aren't at all. It's something like other communities in the world like- Japan, North America, or Europe, that people have different opinions and arguments," he said.
"What we should try to do that to make sure the safety and facilities of the Chinese community in the country along with other communities. We should get all together and make them feel that they are like us."
In 2020, the Chinese government continued to assert control over religion and restrict the activities and personal freedom of religious adherents that it perceived as threatening state or Chinese Communist Party (CCP) interests, according to the US 2020 report on International Religious Freedom (IRF).
( With inputs from ANI )
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