Chinese citizens in the U.S. should be vigilant against possible discrimination and violence against Asians as hate crimes against Asians in the country have seen an upward trend recently, China's Consulate General in New York said.

In the statement published on its official website Saturday, the Consulate General reminded overseas Chinese to avoid quarrels and physical conflicts when encountering such a situation.

Eight people, six of whom were Asian women, were killed in shootings at three different spas in the U.S. state of Georgia on March 16.

Across the United States, people rallied against Anti-Asian hate crimes on Saturday as the country has seen a dramatic rise in such crimes since the coronavirus pandemic began, and after former President Donald Trump's frequent use of derogatory terms such as "kung flu."

Thousands of people in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, also took to the street to participate in the Stop Asian Hate rally on Saturday.