A Chinese student group has urged the University of Tasmania to remove posters supporting Hong Kong independence.

Key points: Pro-Hong Kong democracy posters at the University of Tasmania's Sandy Bay campus have been repeatedly torn down

Pro-Hong Kong democracy posters at the University of Tasmania's Sandy Bay campus have been repeatedly torn down The Tasmanian Chinese Students and Scholars Association has released a statement saying it is a "campus insult"

The Tasmanian Chinese Students and Scholars Association has released a statement saying it is a "campus insult" Both UTAS and its student union president have urged respect on both sides of the debate

Pro-Hong Kong posters have been repeatedly torn down from the university's Sandy Bay campus since they were put on display last week.

In a statement published online, the Tasmanian Chinese Students and Scholars Association expressed anger at the posters and stated its opposition to "any act splitting China".

"… our student union has formally expressed strong dissatisfaction to the school about the campus insult to China and called on the school to build a clean and pure learning environment for students," the statement, translated from Chinese to English, said.

"Respect and understand others, avoid conflicts with dissidents and protect their personal safety.

"… everyone has freedom of speech and we will respect different voices. However, freedom of speech does not mean malicious slander, exaggeration of facts and personal attacks."

Australian National University Department of Pacific Affairs China expert Graeme Smith said the line urging the University of Tasmania to remove the posters was "chilling".

"The implicit suggestion the university is responsible and should clean up these messages and effectively take them down so people can't see them … just that line tells you they don't get the freedom of expression thing," Dr Smith said.

Chinese Students and Scholars Associations operate at universities worldwide.

Student behind protest 'didn't expect campus support'

One of the students behind the pro-Hong Kong protest, who asked that his identity be withheld, said he did not have plans to put up more posters after they had previously been torn down three times.

"We want to slow down, because every time we put them up there would be someone to rip them off," he said.

He said the protest was an expression of free speech.

"We are the ones who have the total right to talk about the issues in Hong Kong," he said.

"At first I just wanted to show my support for the recent protests in Hong Kong, but I didn't expect that there would be such a big voice around the campus."

UTAS, union urge respect

A University of Tasmania spokesman said the university was watching social media and maintaining contact with student groups and organisations, as well as other universities around Australia.

"[We] are encouraging everyone to approach the issue with respect for other members of the community, and respect for the university's values," the spokesman said.

"The student lounge in question is covered by security cameras."

TUU President Sharifah Zaliah Syed Rohan wants students to respect each other's views. ( Facebook: UTASLife )

Chinese students make up the bulk of the international student population at the University of Tasmania.

The institution worked hard to attract Chinese students to the state after the 2014 visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping.

In 2016, it announced it aimed to double its Chinese student population to about 2,000 people. There were about 60 students from Hong Kong in that year.

Three years later, there are about 500 Hong Kong international students at the University of Tasmania and more than 4,100 students from China.

Tasmanian University Union president Sharifah Syed Rohan said it appeared on-campus security had been increased since the incidents with the posters. She urged respect from all sides.

"I think students need to be respectful of what is displayed and if they believe that things are incompatible with the university's strategy or values then it's for them to speak to the university about how that can be removed," Ms Syed Rohan said.

The incident comes after protests at other universities across the country, including violent demonstrations at the University of Queensland.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday issued a travel warning for Hong Kong, saying people should "exercise a high degree of caution" following weeks of tension between pro-democracy protesters, Hong Kong police and pro-Beijing groups