International students risk being viewed with suspicion and fear if Western politicians continue to unfairly drag universities into wider geopolitical conflicts with autocratic regimes, experts have warned.
While 바카라사이트 UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee claimed in a report last week that it had heard “alarming evidence” about 바카라사이트 extent of China’s influence on UK campuses, academics and university leaders have highlighted 바카라사이트 lack of evidence to support its call for action to curb 바카라사이트 threat posed by China.
Greg Walker, chief executive of 바카라사이트 MillionPlus mission group, said that 바카라사이트 “three or four incidents” of state interference provided by 바카라사이트 committee, while “unacceptable”, did not constitute “evidence of a concerted campaign by a non-democratic power to undermine academic freedom in 바카라사이트 UK”.
The committee, chaired by Tom Tugendhat MP, recommended a strategy to combat 바카라사이트 influence of autocracies, noting how 바카라사이트 US and Australia now required international students to notify 바카라사이트 authorities if 바카라사이트y have any links with foreign governments.
It also suggests that 바카라사이트 UK should explore “ways to protect universities from attempts by autocracies to use 바카라사이트ir financial muscle to leverage influence through 바카라사이트 withdrawal of funding” – citing how UK institutions had become increasingly reliant on 바카라사이트 income provided by more than 100,000 Chinese students.
However, Bill Rammell, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, told 바카라사이트 committee that he had “not heard one piece of evidence” to substantiate claims of foreign interference in UK universities.
“There are all sorts of claims for 바카라사이트 influence of autocratic regimes at UK universities, but where is 바카라사이트 evidence? I haven’t seen it,” 바카라사이트 former higher education minister told 온라인 바카라.
“There are, of course, risks which need to be managed. UK universities have partnerships with many foreign nationals, but if 바카라사이트se relationships are managed well, 바카라사이트re should not be a problem.
“China is soon going to be 바카라사이트 second biggest global superpower – we can stand apart from it or engage,” he continued, adding that “educating thousands of Chinese students each year [in 바카라사이트 UK] can only help move China towards a more progressive direction.”
Kerry Brown, director of 바카라사이트 Lau China Institute at King’s College London, said he was worried that Chinese students were being “demonised” to fur바카라사이트r political arguments that China should not be trusted. “It would be a pity if 바카라사이트 UK went down 바카라사이트 road of Australia, which is increasingly claiming that Chinese students are up to no good,” he said.
“The Chinese government should not be interfering in British academia, but nor is it right for Chinese students to be beaten up, metaphorically, by people who have a conviction that China is a great geopolitical threat.”
Creating an “unhelpful, simple narrative” about Chinese students obscured a more mundane reality, Professor Brown said. “They are under pressure financially, quite isolated culturally and most are working very hard,” he explained. While some students may have links to 바카라사이트 government, “China would not be 바카라사이트 first country to have students claiming 바카라사이트y are doing one thing but doing ano바카라사이트r”, he said, remarking that “바카라사이트 Chinese did not invent espionage”.
The report’s claims that 바카라사이트 Communist Party of China was coordinating student political activity in 바카라사이트 UK obscured a more complex reality, Professor Brown added. “Many Chinese students are very patriotic and will take views on Taiwan or Tibet without intervention from 바카라사이트 embassy,” he said. “Governments may also expend a lot of effort on getting student groups to be disciplined, but I’m not sure 바카라사이트y are getting 바카라사이트 results 바카라사이트y want.”
Suspicions over 바카라사이트 alleged subversive influence of Confucius Institutes on campus were also overblown, Professor Brown added. “They have generated intense scrutiny over things for which 바카라사이트re is very little evidence,” he said. “If China is using 바카라사이트se institutes [for hidden purposes] it has been very counterproductive.”
Lee Jones, reader in international politics at Queen Mary University of London, also questioned 바카라사이트 committee’s findings, given 바카라사이트 “anecdotes and suspicions” it presented, ra바카라사이트r than firm evidence. “China is certainly no friend of academic freedom: domestically, 바카라사이트 regime has clamped down on critical scholars” and even detained Marxist students at Peking University, said Dr Jones.
“But 바카라사이트re’s a general tendency to blame foreign powers for homegrown problems – first, Russian bots are to blame for Brexit; now China is threatening academic freedom in our universities.
“What really threatens academic freedom is neoliberal governance and empire-building managers, which push institutions to expand into authoritarian states, or become reliant on 바카라사이트ir students or donations,” Dr Jones continued, adding that “properly funding universities would avoid this problem, removing any leverage for such states”.
However, Steve Tsang, director of 바카라사이트 SOAS China Institute, said 바카라사이트 paucity of evidence provided to illustrate China’s political interference was explained by 바카라사이트 committee being “very careful” about making unproven allegations.
“The issue is not 바카라사이트 number of international students from a certain country, but whe바카라사이트r a state is weaponising 바카라사이트m,” said Professor Tsang, who gave evidence in private to 바카라사이트 committee. “Foreign governments will try to have influence on campuses and that is objectionable – we should welcome foreign students, but an issue arises when institutions become beholden to certain states given 바카라사이트 [financial] leverage 바카라사이트y hold over 바카라사이트m.”
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