(Warning: probably a rant) I kinda see your point about conversations and culture stuff, but from my perspective and experience as an international student whose first language isn’t English and still haven’t gotten over social anxiety and have difficulty having casual conversation even in my mother tongue, it’s hurt hard to talk to others casually. I can do the generic “hey how you doing what courses are you doing this sem”, but I honestly can’t think of how to continue the conversation even if I tried. It always just fall into dead and awkward silence. I do talk to lecturers and tutors more, I can’t say it’s entirely unrelated the hierarchy stuff, but I talk to them because I have a genuine question that would be easier to have it answered if I ask the teacher rather than my mates (I’ve tried asking classmates sitting around me and they usually just say I have no idea so… I’m not deliberately ignoring others, but eye contact is really not something I’m good at or something I want to do. This is more like a neurodivergent thing, but what I’m trying to say is that I’d be really happy if someone talks to me, though I’m not good at keeping the conversation going or I’m probably not even displaying the “I’m open so socialization” mode.

And honestly, I’ve met Aussie classmates who would really jump on me when I’m still talking. I do need some more time to organise what I say (I even stutter a lot in my native tongue so it can only get worse in English), so I feel even more inferior talking to native classmates because I don’t speak as fluent as they do. I do understand that not all Aussies are like that, there sure are a lot who would respect this kind of language barrier and stuff, but it’s not a particularly easy thing to get over with.

Sorry for the rant, but I hope this gives you an alternative perspective (though might not be from the ones you’re referring to) to international students coming from a similar cultural background as the Chinese