Latest news with #ConfuciusInstitutes
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
London must look within, not towards Beijing, to fix academic woes
The recently released report Cold Crisis: Academic Freedom and Interference in China Studies in the UK, featured in British media, opens with a sobering statement: 'The study of China in the UK is in crisis.' On this point, I wholeheartedly agree. But the diagnosis offered by the report misses the mark entirely. Rather than addressing the underlying structural issues facing higher education in the United Kingdom, the report casts a shadow of suspicion over anything connected to China. It cites threats from the Communist Party of China, visiting scholars, Chinese students and research bodies such as the China Scholarship Council and Confucius Institutes . The underlying message is clear: collaboration with China is inherently compromising. However, this narrative overlooks a more urgent and uncomfortable truth. Yes, China studies in the UK is indeed in crisis – not because of Chinese interference, but because of years of domestic neglect. The British university system is suffering from chronic underfunding and a market-driven logic that has left modern languages and area studies on life support. Departments are being downsized, academics are losing jobs and plans are under way to cut degree programmes. In this context, China studies is simply another casualty of a much broader collapse in support for the humanities and social sciences. Ironically, for the past two decades, it has been China's rise – the very development now cast as a threat – that has kept China studies afloat. Demand for Mandarin, research on China and UK–China academic collaboration surged as China's global importance grew. Without that momentum, there would have been far fewer China-related posts, students and research opportunities in the UK. The report takes aim at universities for engaging with Chinese institutions and for their supposed financial dependencies on tuition income from Chinese students. However, it fails to acknowledge the reality that, in a chronically underfunded sector, international students – including those from China – are not a problem to be solved but a financial lifeline.
Nikkei Asia
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Fear of Beijing harassment skews Chinese studies in UK, report says
China's Confucius Institutes, which are hosted by more than 20 British universities, will come under greater scrutiny in the U.K. under a new law meant to protect academic freedom. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP) CLEMENT NGU August 10, 2025 12:00 JST LONDON -- Fear of retaliation from Beijing is pressuring academics and students in the U.K. to self-censor, a new report says, leading to "systematic distortion" of China studies at British universities.
Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Can ‘China Studies' still be trusted?
It is generally agreed that Britain needs to improve its China capabilities. That a greater understanding of Chinese culture, history and language is needed in the UK was one of the few tangible findings from the government's 'China audit', the bare bones of which were published earlier this year. But what happens when institutions responsible for building those capabilities are compromised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)? That is the worrying question arising from a report published this week into the state of China Studies in British universities, which details a chilling pattern of spying, intimidation, harassment and self-censorship at the hands of the CCP. The report, by UK-China Transparency, a charity that seeks to shed light on some of the darker corners of Britain's relationship with Beijing, suggests that the CCP is seeking to replicate on British campuses the repressive control it exercises at home. The report is based on evidence from a survey of 50 academics in the field of China Studies, and includes allegations that Chinese students have been pressured to spy on classmates. There are also claims that the CCP has sought to restrict critical research by threatening scholars' family members in China and by warning university administrators about their financial dependence on China. Others reported digital and verbal harassment and the demotion by one university of an academic who was deemed to be a threat to relations with China. 'This survey presents strong evidence that CCP-linked repression has had and may continue to have a distortive effect on our China studies system, disincentivising sensitive yet critical research,' the report concludes. This is not the first time that China Studies have come under scrutiny. A highly critical report by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee warned in July 2023 that the CCP was using money and influence in order to 'penetrate or buy academia' in order to 'ensure its international narrative is advanced and criticism suppressed.' It said China had stifled debate by exerting influence over the institutions, Chinese students and over academics, who had been offered professional inducements including travel opportunities and research funding. Amnesty International has also described the routine intimidation and harassment of Chinese students by CCP loyalists and informers, with students reporting that their families in China were targeted and threatened by police if they engaged in activism overseas. The CCP-linked Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) and Confucius Institutes are central to this surveillance, but continue to be indulged by British universities. The CSSA, overseen by the Chinese embassy, is the CCP's eyes and ears on campus, while Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes, ostensibly language and cultural organisations, have been accused of censorship and surveillance. British universities host thirty Confucius Institutes, more than any other country. Almost all UK government spending on Mandarin language teaching in British schools – with at least £27m allocated from 2015 to 2024 – is channelled through university-based Confucius Institutes. However, not only are they funded by Beijing, but Chinese teaching staff are vetted for their political loyalty. A mandatory application form for teachers going abroad requires that applicants be vetted by a CCP committee and have references detailing their 'political attitude' and their ability to implement the Party's 'request and report system' –surveilling and informing on colleagues, students and others they come into contact with, in other words, while propagating CCP propaganda. They have come under close scrutiny and have had their activities curtailed in Europe, Canada, the US and Australia. Last week, it was reported that six Australian universities have quietly closed their Confucius Institutes, halving their presence in Australia, following growing concerns over CCP influence operations. Sweden was the that first country in Europe to close all its institutes over similar concerns. However, they continue to thrive in Britain. In June, during a statement on the 'China audit', Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that enhancing China capabilities was a 'core focus' of the government, and that action would be taken to improve Mandarin language learning among civil servants. The internationally recognised test of Mandarin language proficiency for non-native speakers is called the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), and it contains 6 different levels. There are 19 authorised test centres in the UK – and all but one of them are run by Confucius Institutes. In other words aspiring diplomats and business people, looking to take on some of the most sensitive and challenging roles in business and diplomacy, are having their language skills (and probably much else) assessed by a CCP-front organisation. This would be almost comical if the implications were not so potentially far reaching. There have been some small victories in the battle against CCP influence in academia. The China Forum (formerly the China Centre) at Jesus College, Cambridge, whose stated mission was to 'deepen mutual understanding between China and the West', is due to close next month after heavy criticism over the transparency of its funding, its partnerships and its parroting of CCP propaganda. While it is sad to see the demise of any academic institution, the Forum had become little more than a Beijing mouthpiece, allowing little room for subjects deemed offensive by the CCP. Britain's largest China Studies centre, the Lau Institute at King's College London, has resisted demands for greater transparency over funding. In an earlier report, UK-China Transparency revealed that its biggest donor by far, who has given at least £11 million, is a Hong Kong tycoon with links to the CCP. King's has rejected Freedom of Information requests for details of any terms and conditions attached to its funding and about the broader system by which it assesses the ethics of donations. This month, a potentially powerful new tool comes into law – the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act. In theory at least, this mandates the Office of Students (OfS) to ensure freedom of expression on campuses. As Skills Minister Jacqui Smith put it, universities should be 'places of rigorous debate', and 'any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated.' If she is serious, and the law is strictly enforced, it is hard to see how Confucius Institutes or the CSSA can survive on British campuses. The OfS is reportedly examining both. And if evidence is needed, it can be found in abundance in the halls and classrooms of Britain's China Studies centres, so badly hollowed out by fear and harassment.
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK academics studying topics sensitive to China face harassment, survey finds
Academics and students of Chinese studies in Britain are being subject to harassment, surveillance and pressure to self-censor as they seek to avoid disruption to funding, a survey of universities by a transparency group has concluded. The findings by UK-China Transparency coincide with new government guidance stating that universities may be breaching rules by having partnerships with foreign governments that require academic staff to pass ideological tests – for example, by hosting Confucius Institutes. Academics working on topics that are politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist party (CCP) reported instances of harassment from colleagues and pressure from university administrators related to the financial consequences of damaging relations with China. One academic involved in sensitive research stopped teaching after experiencing harassment from a visiting scholar from China, who whispered 'we're watching you' in one case and interrogated the academic about their personal history at another event. Another scholar experienced a severe campaign of online harassment. A respondent stated that their Chinese students had confided in him that they had been asked to spy on campus events by Chinese police, and another said they were told by Chinese students that surveillance was omnipresent and that students were interviewed by officials on their return to China. The results suggest that the academic landscape is mixed, with some institutions demonstrating higher resilience and supporting scholars working on sensitive topics than others. They are based on 50 responses to a questionnaire circulated last year among China studies scholars working at UK universities. Nearly two-thirds – 64% – of respondents thought their universities' financial dependency on international students from China affected administrators' 'sense of the importance of relationships with the Chinese government', compared with 16% who felt that this was not the case. Twenty-two per cent said they had been told by a manager or administrator that relations with China were a factor in their institution's decision-making, and a further 10% said they believed they were, while 52% said they were not. And 38% thought these concerns made it 'more difficult to study or conduct original investigative research on sensitive issues', compared with 46% who said this was not the case. One academic said they had faced pressure to remove teaching elements that could offend nationalist Chinese students and had been asked by funders whether planned research would offend the Chinese government. The same academic said their university's recruitment team had received threats from the Chinese government in relation to their sensitive research. Another respondent said their faculty had been opposed to a sensitive event and another gave a secondhand account of an incident at another university where a research project had been cancelled and its funding returned because of Chinese government pressure on the university's management. Other respondents argued that specialising in sensitive research work created opportunities, with one respondent suggesting that in the current environment 'a strongly anti-Chinese stance' could create 'a stifling effect on those who wish to discuss nuance'. Another respondent said that 'sensitive topics are welcomed by some institutions but not others'. A Chinese embassy spokesperson said: 'The relevant report is completely groundless and absurd. China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and respects freedom of speech and academic freedom in the UK and other countries. China consistently requires its citizens, including overseas students, to abide by local laws and regulations. 'The relevant parties should remain committed to actions that promote educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK, rather than the opposite.' David Tobin, a lecturer in east Asian studies at the University of Sheffield, said the report was 'addressing long-term pervasive issues in British universities that I've encountered since 2007'. He said he had experienced one incident in a previous job where a senior colleague invited representatives from the Chinese consulate and Chinese state media journalists to visit. After being left to wander around the building unattended, he said they entered his working area and observed the sensitive material he was working with on his computer screen. 'The key challenge academics like myself researching subjects that are considered sensitive by the CCP is that our access to the field is blocked if we write about anything that the party state does not approve of,' Tobin said. 'Chinese scholars here are as afraid as they would be in China because they are not protected when they are at home and their families are harassed inside the PRC [China] if they write about the party system.'
Saudi Gazette
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Chinese students in UK told to spy on classmates, report says
LONDON — Chinese students at UK universities are being pressured to spy on their classmates in an attempt to suppress the discussion of issues that are sensitive to the Chinese government, a new report suggests. The UK-China Transparency (UKCT) think tank says its survey of academics in China studies also highlighted reports of Chinese government officials warning lecturers to avoid discussing certain topics in their classes. It comes days after a new law came into force placing more responsibility on universities to uphold academic freedom and free speech. The Chinese embassy in London called the report "groundless and absurd", adding that China respects freedom of speech in the UK and elsewhere. The regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), says freedom of speech and academic freedom are "fundamental" to higher education. The new legislation, which came into force last week, says universities should do more to actively promote academic freedom and freedom of speech, including in cases where institutions have agreements in place with other countries. Universities could be fined millions if they fail to do so, the OfS has said. However, the UKCT report says some universities are reluctant to address the issue of Chinese interference because of their financial reliance on Chinese student fees. The report alleges that some Chinese academics involved in sensitive research had been denied visas by the Chinese government, while others said family members back in China had been harassed or threatened because of their work in the UK. Those sensitive topics can range from science and tech to politics and humanities, the report says, such as alleged ethnic cleansing in China's Xinjiang region, the outbreak of Covid or the rise of Chinese technology companies. Some academics reported intimidation by visiting scholars or other Chinese officials, as well as by staff at Confucius Institutes. These are partnership organisations operating at several UK universities, which bring together institutions in the UK and China, as well as a Chinese government agency which provides funding. They promote Chinese culture and language on UK campuses, but have been criticised over alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. OfS chief executive Susan Lapworth previously said she expected Confucius Institutes to be looked into under the new free speech laws, over concerns that they could present a threat to free speech on campuses. The OfS already has powers to ensure free speech is upheld by universities, including against any threats from the influence of foreign states or institutions. Those powers are due to be strengthened with a new complaints system, in which university staff members and visiting speakers will be able to raise issues directly with the OfS. The regulator also said universities should amend or terminate any agreements which threatened free speech on campus, including scholarships or schemes funded by foreign countries. The BBC understands the OfS expects universities to have "an appropriate level of curiosity" about any such arrangements, regardless of any potential loss of income for the university. A Chinese embassy spokesperson said the country had always adhered to its policy of not interfering with other countries' internal affairs. However, the UKCT says its survey responses from academics suggested some students from China had told their lecturers they had been asked to spy on their peers by Chinese officials. Other students, of various nationalities, reported being uncomfortable discussing issues in class deemed sensitive to the Chinese government, and were reluctant to pursue further academic interest in these subjects, the report says. Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK "will not be tolerated". "We are also working directly with the Office for Students to support universities in safeguarding free speech and tackling any form of harassment on campus," she added. She said academic freedom was "non-negotiable in our world-leading institutions", adding that the implementation of the new legislation made that "explicitly clear". The record £585,000 fine handed down by the OfS earlier this year has "put universities on notice" that they must do their part to protect these freedoms, she added, or they will "face the consequences". — BBC
