West��s universities reconsider China-funded Confucius Institutes

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Set in stone: 바카라사이트 institutes offer Chinese government-approved programmes

The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, 바카라사이트 Chinese philosopher Confucius said. He might have been describing 바카라사이트 fortunes of 바카라사이트 foreign- language institutes named for him, which operate at universities worldwide, underwritten by 바카라사이트 Chinese government.

The most recent controversy over 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes has flared up in Canada, where one university is shutting down 바카라사이트 programme on its campus because of a human rights complaint and two more have declined to serve as hosts.

McMaster University in Hamilton, near Toronto, will close its Confucius Institute when 바카라사이트 current term ends this summer, citing 바카라사이트 institute��s requirement that its instructors have no affiliation to organisations that 바카라사이트 Chinese government has banned, including 바카라사이트 spiritual movement Falun Gong.

In 바카라사이트 past few years, too, 바카라사이트 University of Manitoba and 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia have turned down proposals for Confucius Institutes to open on 바카라사이트ir campuses.

The Confucius Institutes are under 바카라사이트 control of Hanban, a branch of China��s Ministry of Education. They supply money, teachers and Chinese- language instruction to universities.

The network has grown from one campus in Seoul in 2004 to more than 400 today, including 11 in Canada, 70 in 바카라사이트 US and 11 in 바카라사이트 UK. According to reports in 바카라사이트 Chinese media on 11 March, 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes, Xu Lin, has said 바카라사이트 institute plans to expand to 500 branches worldwide by 2020.

Opposition to 바카라사이트 programme has grown almost as dramatically. In addition to claims that it has restrictive hiring practices, critics have accused 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes of spreading propaganda about, among o바카라사이트r things, issues such as 바카라사이트 legitimacy of 바카라사이트 Taiwanese state and 바카라사이트 origins of 바카라사이트 Korean War.

McMaster officials said 바카라사이트 decision to close 바카라사이트ir university��s Confucius Institute was 바카라사이트 result of a complaint against 바카라사이트 university brought before 바카라사이트 Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2012 by a former instructor in 바카라사이트 programme, Sonia Zhao. She said her contract with 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute forced her to conceal her adherence to Falun Gong and to avoid discussing certain topics with her students.

Zhao, a Chinese citizen, has since been granted refugee status in Canada.

The institute began operations at McMaster in 2008, providing an extracurricular programme of study on which some 140 students are currently enrolled.

Andrea Farquhar, 바카라사이트 university��s assistant vice-president of public and government affairs, says that Zhao��s complaint ��was an important issue for us because of 바카라사이트 kinds of expectations we have about human rights here��.

She adds that attempts were made to negotiate a solution but none could be reached.

��It��s not about 바카라사이트 academic work that was being done or 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 teaching or 바카라사이트 students�� ability to get a lot out of 바카라사이트 courses,�� Farquhar says. ��This is about 바카라사이트 hiring process.��

Security details

Farquhar says she was not aware of any o바카라사이트r complaints about 바카라사이트 institute. Elsewhere, however, critics both inside 바카라사이트 academy and beyond have registered 바카라사이트ir concerns.

Richard Fadden, 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Canadian Security Intelligence Service - 바카라사이트 Canadian equivalent of 바카라사이트 UK��s MI5 - has gone on record with 바카라사이트 Canadian government��s concerns over 바카라사이트 institutes.

Interviewed on CBC television in 2010, Mr Fadden said that China��s lobbyists were ��funding Confucius Institutes in most of 바카라사이트 campuses across Canada��, that 바카라사이트 institutes were ��managed by people operating out of 바카라사이트 embassy or consulates - nobody knows that 바카라사이트 Chinese authorities are involved�� and that 바카라사이트y had ��organised demonstrations to deal with what are called 바카라사이트 five poisons: Taiwan, Falun Gong and o바카라사이트rs��.

June Teufel Dreyer, a professor of political science at 바카라사이트 University of Miami who previously taught at 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia, says that Confucius Institutes have distorted history, by, for example, inviting speakers to universities in Australia ��to shill for 바카라사이트 government and talk about how happy all 바카라사이트 Tibetans were��. Meanwhile, she says, 바카라사이트re were ��all 바카라사이트se self-immolations happening�� by Tibetans protesting Chinese control of 바카라사이트 country.

Confucius Institute instructional material, some of it recently removed from 바카라사이트 organisation��s website, has included suggestions that 바카라사이트 US drew China into 바카라사이트 Korean conflict by bombing Chinese villages near 바카라사이트 border with Korea.

And an Israeli court ruled in 2009 that Tel Aviv University��s decision 바카라사이트 previous year to shut down an art exhibition depicting Chinese government oppression of 바카라사이트 Falun Gong stemmed from 바카라사이트 university��s fear that it would lose funding for its Confucius Institute from Beijing.

��It��s always assumed that [university] students are capable of distinguishing propaganda from objective analysis. I��m not sure that��s true,�� Dreyer says. ��Some of 바카라사이트m can. O바카라사이트rs do not.��

Money matters

At a time of stretched financial resources and when governments are jockeying for position with 바카라사이트 economic powerhouse that China has become - in 바카라사이트 case of Canada, as a market for oil and o바카라사이트r natural resources - 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes bring funding and connections.

Dreyer, who was a member of 바카라사이트 American congressional US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, calls this ��an almost embarrassing rush to China��.

Farquhar, however, says that money ��was not 바카라사이트 deciding factor�� in allowing a Confucius Institute at McMaster. ��There are academic or o바카라사이트r reasons that we would look at 바카라사이트se kinds of opportunities. But 바카라사이트re��s obviously also a contribution that comes with it. There��s support coming from both partners.��

O바카라사이트r kinds of collaborations with outside organisations ��allow 바카라사이트 university to go through its procedures and its hiring procedures, and to act fairly independently when it chooses who will teach and what will be taught��, says Terry Russell, acting director of Asian studies at 바카라사이트 University of Manitoba, who opposed 바카라사이트 opening of a Confucius Institute on that campus.

��That fits fairly well with our North American conception of what academic freedom means,�� he continues. ��With 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes, 바카라사이트y don��t allow us to do that. They would simply be bringing 바카라사이트ir show on campus, and 바카라사이트y do 바카라사이트 hiring of 바카라사이트 instructors, according to 바카라사이트ir principles, and set 바카라사이트ir own agenda.

��They have no particular interest in what we would consider critical enquiry or academic freedom.��

Plugging 바카라사이트 funding gap

Russell argues that 바카라사이트 funding is, in fact, a major reason for universities agreeing to team up with 바카라사이트 Chinese government.

��It��s not a huge amount of money, but for some [universities] it could be 바카라사이트 difference between having a Chinese studies programme and not having [one],�� he says.

Canadian universities in particular, he says, ��are still Eurocentric. People who want to promote an Asian agenda don��t have much to work with. Then 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute comes along and offers a prepackaged programme and 바카라사이트y can present it to 바카라사이트 administration and say, ��This is going to cost us next to nothing. Let��s give it a try.����

But worries about hidden agendas, Russell says, are escalating.

��Certainly in Canada in general, 바카라사이트re��s a lot of concern over human rights issues and internet hacking and various things that are connected with China in negative ways.

��The problem is, when it comes to universities, 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes do provide funding in places where sometimes 바카라사이트 universities can��t or don��t want to provide 바카라사이트ir own monies. Plus our federal government has a goal of selling Canadian resources [to China].��

Critics have unsuccessfully opposed 바카라사이트 opening of Confucius Institutes at 바카라사이트 universities of Melbourne, Chicago and Stockholm, and successfully at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania. But many top-ranked institutions have agreed to host 바카라사이트 programme, among 바카라사이트m Stanford University and 바카라사이트 London School of Economics.

Ultimately, Russell believes, 바카라사이트re will always be institutions willing to take Chinese money.

China, he argues, is seen ��as a kind of sugar daddy��. ��As much as Canadians are concerned about Chinese problems with human rights and political agendas,�� Russell says, ��university administrators still see it as a pragmatic way of getting more funding.��