Tim Cheung (@TimCheung)

#Chinese #students at universities in the UK are being pressured to #spy on their #classmates, according to a new report. The #UK-#China Transparency (#UKCT) #thinktank said results from a survey of academics in China studies said the system was subject to ‘widespread CCP (Chinese #Communist #Party) influence, interference and harassment’ in order to suppress discussion of issues sensitive to the Chinese government. The report claimed students had told their lecturers that they had been asked by Chinese officials to spy on their #peers, while #lecturers said they had instructed to not discuss certain topics in their classes...some #universities are reluctant to tackle CCP’s #interference due to universities’ reliance on the revenue Chinese students bring in #tuition #fees. The report says some of those surveyed claim the Chinese government have denied UK #visas to #academics involved in sensitive research, while others allege family members in China have been harassed or threatened because of their relative’s work in the UK. Among sensitive topics mentioned are politics and humanities, including the alleged ethnic cleaning in China’s #Xinjiang region and science and tech, including #Covid19. According to the report, some academics at UK universities have been intimidated by Chinese #officials and #scholars while on visits to the campuses. The universities allegedly include those involved with the Confucius Institute, a #partnership programme funded by the Chinese government that offers cultural and #language exchanges between China and countries across the world. The programme has previously been accused of spreading Chinese #propaganda under the guise of teaching, with some universities around the #world withdrawing from the initiative as a result. An Office for Students (OfS) spokesperson told Metro: ‘Freedom of speech and academic #freedom are fundamental to higher education. Where universities or colleges enter into agreements with any country, they must ensure that they continue to uphold freedom of speech within the law and academic freedom. Where they cannot do this, they should immediately take all necessary steps to amend or terminate the agreement. Our guidance is clear for example, that suppression of research at the behest of the country’s government, or the imposition of any kind of ideological test as a condition of employment, would be unacceptable'. #OfS chief executive Susan Lapworth previously said #ConfuciusInstitutes should be looked into under the new free speech laws due to concerns they don’t meet the rules." https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1222479333255384&set=ecnf.100064799856517