Chinese authorities approached the family of an international student who participated in high-profile protests at an Australian university and warned his parents of the potential consequences of political dissent.

The apparent intimidation tactics suggest the Chinese government was monitoring the demonstration at the University of Queensland to record who attended, in a development one influential Liberal MP said was alarming.

Chinese students clash with pro Hong Kong protesters at University of Queensland.

The student took part in last month's event to show support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and to condemn Beijing's repression of the Uighur ethnic minority group.

"I was in the protest. When people were recording I was doing my best to hide my face or stay away from the crowd," the student, who did not want to be identified for fear of repercussions, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

But within days of the rally the student received a call from his mother in China to say the family had been approached by "a guest".

His mother told him the authorities had issued a warning about engaging in "anti-China rhetoric" in Brisbane and warned him not to "join any events where people are gathered together".

"As long as you do that, we can make sure you're safe and we're safe," his mother told him.

She said the family had assured officials that their son was loyal to the Communist Party.

The Herald and the Age have agreed to withhold details that could be used to identify the student but his identity and key elements of his account have been verified.

The chair of Parliament's powerful intelligence and security committee, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, said he was alarmed by the student's story.

"I am greatly concerned. This is precisely why the Coalition government passed foreign interference laws in 2018: to protect diaspora groups from coercion by foreign state actors," he said.

Students hold placards demanding transparency from the University of Queensland. AAP

The Australian director of Human Rights Watch, Elaine Pearson, said Chinese authorities had long monitored students and academics at universities around the world.

"Australia is no different. Academics here described to me similar instances where students from China said their families were harassed or intimidated in response to what those students had said in the classroom," she said.

"So this is not surprising or unusual. The question is what are universities doing to counter such retaliation?"

The Chinese embassy did not respond to a request for comment.

Organisers of the University of Queensland rally were objecting to its links to the Chinese government and at one point held a sit-in of the Beijing-funded Confucius Institute.

The day descended into violence after protestors were confronted by supporters of the Chinese Communist Party. Footage shared on social media depicted tense scenes as pro-CCP students attempted to disrupt the gathering.

China's consul-general in Brisbane, Xu Jie, subsequently issued a statement praising "the spontaneous patriotic behaviour of Chinese students" at the university in response to "people with ulterior motives [who] conducted anti-Chinese separatist activities".

The intervention earned a rebuke from Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who said the government expected foreign diplomats to respect the right to freedom of expression in Australia "even on contentious and sensitive issues".

Some students who attended the protests have since complained of intimidation and harassment online, including death threats.

A spokeswoman for the University of Queensland said it "does not condone any actions that prevent free speech" and encouraged concerned students to seek advice and assistance from support services.

"We encourage the respectful and lawful expression of views, and make every effort to provide a safe environment for mature debate," the spokeswoman said.

"Following the protests, UQ has been in contact with students regarding any concerns raised either formally or informally about their safety, or their welfare."

She urged students concerned about their safety or possible criminal behaviour to contact police.