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.

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

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

"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.

"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.

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

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.