Protests and violent clashes in Hong Kong have spilled over onto Australian university campuses, revealing a deep division of opinions in the local Chinese community.

Key points: Hong Kong students say they're pro-democracy not pro-independence

Hong Kong students say they're pro-democracy not pro-independence But the pro-Beijing students see the protests as anti-China separatist activities

But the pro-Beijing students see the protests as anti-China separatist activities More student protests are planned at universities next week

Student demonstrations between the pro-Hong Kong and pro-Beijing camps have broken out nationwide over the past fortnight, ranging from scuffles at the University of Queensland (UQ) to peaceful hours-long debates on the footpaths outside Monash University's Clayton campus in Melbourne.

The demonstrations are usually organised by Hong Kong international students calling for democracy in the semi-autonomous region, and then countered by pro-Beijing students who see the protests as anti-China separatists activities.

Elvis Ma, a Hong Kong student from Monash University, has flown back home twice since the protests over the now-suspended extradition bill kicked off in June.

He told the ABC the international students in Australia were just trying to raise awareness about what's happening back home.

"I think that's the only way we can help Hong Kong people," he said.

"Students from the mainland believe we are trying to make Hong Kong independent, but the fact is that we simply hope people can care about the extradition law, and how Hong Kong police attacked the protesters."

A spokesperson from the University of Tasmania's Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) told the ABC the body "deeply supports national unity of the People's Republic of China and opposes every action or comment that aimed at dividing China."

The difference of opinions have sparked disputes at half a dozen campuses including the University of New South Wales, Australian National University, University of Tasmania and Monash University with more demonstrations planned in Sydney and Melbourne next week.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 33 seconds 1 m 33 s Confrontation between pro-China and pro-democracy students at Monash University.

Pro-Beijing residents in Sydney and Melbourne also announced their plans yesterday to protest against the "riots" in Hong Kong in their respective CBDs on Saturday, August 17 .

While the protests are rooted in the widespread discontent over Hong Kong's now-suspended extradition bill, they also reflect the diverse views in Australia's Chinese community, which accounts for more than 1.2 million of the 25 million national population.

The views are as varied as the people who make up the community itself — from new migrants and international students, to second and third generation Chinese Australians, and to ethnic Chinese from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Chinese community split over student protests

Pro-Chinese students at the University of Queensland stand their ground after a clash with Hong Kong supporters. ( ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith )

Last month, Gladys Liu, the first Chinese-Australian woman to sit in the Federal Parliament's Lower House, publicly endorsed the protest movement in her birthplace of Hong Kong and what it was hoping to achieve.

"The significant number of people in Hong Kong who have taken to the streets to voice their concerns demonstrates to the world the kind of passion and commitment to democracy that the people of Hong Kong hold," she said.

Ms Liu did not respond directly to the ABC's questions to clarify whether she also supported the student protests spreading across Australia's university campuses, instead saying she urged protesters to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner.

"As I have previously said, peaceful dialogue is the best course of action to resolve any dispute, consistent with both Australia's democratic values and with the established democratic practices of Hong Kong, valued by Australia and many around the world," Ms Liu told the ABC in a statement.

However, on Thursday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs made their position clear by defending recent remarks by the Chinese consul-general in Brisbane, Xu Jie, following the protests at UQ on July 24.

Mr Xu said the consulate affirms "the spontaneous patriotic behaviour of Chinese students, resolutely opposes the words and deeds of any separatist countries, and opposes the use of these events to create the opposition between Chinese and Hong Kong students and incite anti-China sentiment".

The Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said at the regular press briefing on Thursday evening that Mr Xu's remarks echoed Beijing's position on matters concerning China's sovereignty and the Chinese students' safety, legal rights and interests.

"A very small number of people with ulterior motives conducted anti-China separatist activities at Queensland University, which caused indignation and protests by Chinese overseas students, including those from the mainland and Hong Kong," she said.

"[Mr Xu's] relevant statement is comprehensive, accurate and beyond reproach.

"The so-called allegation of 'interfering [in] Australia's internal affairs' and 'inciting campus violence' is nothing but fabrications and slanders."

The Chinese embassy in Canberra also backed Mr Xu, saying his comments were "appropriate and measured".

'Fake news', pro-democracy vs pro-independence

There have been confrontations between pro-Hong Kong and pro-China protesters outside Monash University. ( Supplied )

Observers including student leaders of the protests say the heated debate over the recent events has been fuelled by Chinese media reports on WeChat in Australia, the majority of which have misrepresented the nature of the demonstrations.

WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform, is the main source of news for the local Chinese community in Australia.

On Tuesday, about 50 international students from Hong Kong gathered at Monash University's Clayton campus in the morning to demonstrate against China's violation of the autonomy Hong Kong was promised under the One Country, Two Systems model and to demand the full withdrawal of the now-shelved extradition bill.

Hong Kong students at Monash University's Clayton campus wore signs and stuck memos on their clothes in a peaceful protest. ( Supplied )

They protested peacefully by sticking signs and memos on their clothes to clarify that they were "not pro-independence, but pro-democracy" for Hong Kong.

But several reports covering the protest on WeChat described the students as "pro-independence Hongkongers" and "toxic Hongkongers", while other articles exaggerated the confrontation between the pro-Hong Kong and pro-Beijing students.

It was reported that a Chinese pro-democracy student, Omar Ma, was "bashed up and sent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital" after he called the pro-Beijing students "Zhina", a derogatory word that was widely regarded as a racial slur used by the Japanese during the World War II.

But Mr Ma and other eyewitnesses told the ABC the incident was non violent, adding that biased reports were spreading misinformation.

Hong Kong community leader in Melbourne, Jane Poon, added that fake news could give people the wrong perception which "can cause ethnic division and damage the harmony" in the community.

"It is extremely dangerous to Australian society, especially with such a huge number of residents [making up the] Chinese community," she said.

And while the student protests have been widely portrayed to be a conflict between people from Hong Kong and mainland China, the reality is many students from China are also part of the pro-democracy movement.

'Respecting the right to freedom of speech in Australia'

Pro-democracy messages at University of Tasmania's Sandy Bay campus. ( Twitter: Monte Bovill )

University campus walls covered with posters and sticky notes mirroring the "Lennon Wall" in Hong Kong — where activists have pinned thousands of notes stating their protest demands — have also become a flashpoint for conflict.

And some of the slogans written by the pro-Hong Kong students including "free Hong Kong" and "fight for freedom" have been interpreted as a push for independence, rather than democracy.

Last week two mainland students disrupted a protest at the Australian National University by standing in front of the Lennon Wall to stop others from sticking memos.

Hong Kong student Claudia Ng told the ABC students from mainland China replaced posters and quotes on the wall with some nationalist memos, emphasising Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.

"I think we should all respect the right [of freedom of speech] in Australia, given it is a core value here," she said.

"We also met students from the mainland who came to support us, but they could not speak out [because they want to protect their identity].

"Many people in China also knew what happened, but they are scared to talk about it because of the social context, and I can understand them," she said.