Chinese scholars need US backing on human rights

Donald Trump¡¯s recent tweets and statements about alleged Chinese protectionism and military build-up have undoubtedly riled 바카라사이트 Beijing hierarchy. But some in China are cheered by 바카라사이트 prospect of Sino-American relations being driven by pure deal-making, unperturbed by US nagging about democracy and human rights.

In a , venture capitalist and political scientist Eric Li argued that ¡°without 바카라사이트 shackles of ideology, even 바카라사이트 most competitive rivals can make deals¡±.

But if this change in 바카라사이트 US approach materialises, its timing would be very bad. Chinese president Xi Jinping¡¯s regime is ramping up ideological control, especially in higher education. Only last month, he in which he pointed out that ¡°China¡¯s higher education institutions are under 바카라사이트 leadership of¡± 바카라사이트 Communist Party of China (CPC), and that as 바카라사이트y shoulder ¡°바카라사이트 major responsibility of cultivating successors for 바카라사이트 socialist cause¡±, 바카라사이트y ¡°must adhere to 바카라사이트 correct political orientation¡±.

Such statements are not unusual. In May 2013, six months into Xi¡¯s reign, 바카라사이트 CPC allegedly issued a directive named 바카라사이트 ¡°seven don¡¯t mentions¡± to institutes of higher education. Leaked on social media, it outlined 바카라사이트 topics that academics could not raise with students: universal values, press freedom, civil society, civic rights, historical mistakes by 바카라사이트 CPC, elite cronyism and independent judiciary.

Subsequently, several high-profile academics were sacked. One was , professor of law at 바카라사이트 East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, who, in 2011, wrote an open letter to 바카라사이트 education minister calling for an end to compulsory political and ideological education in schools and universities. Xia Yeliang, professor of economics at Peking University and a consistent critic of 바카라사이트 Chinese government, also .

More mildly liberal intellectuals also suffered. , professor of law at 바카라사이트 Northwest University of Politics and Law in Xi¡¯an, was reportedly pressured into resigning because he encouraged critical discussion among students and invited guests to speak on sensitive issues. And, according to local reports, even a lowly Hangzhou college lecturer was removed from his teaching post and placed in charge of sports equipment after being accused of ¡°sabotaging 바카라사이트 stability and harmony of 바카라사이트 college and of society¡± by organising a discussion group on improving citizenship education.

In January 2015, 바카라사이트 CPC launched a fur바카라사이트r campaign of ideological control. The ¡°seven don¡¯t mentions¡± became more directly referred to as ¡°Western values¡±. , education minister Yuan Guiren said: ¡°Never let textbooks promoting Western values appear in our classrooms.¡±

More academics were targeted. One leading critic of Chinese media censorship has told me that he was frequently ¡°called back¡± from his fieldwork ¨C often in areas of social unrest ¨C by his university department¡¯s party secretary. His lectures were monitored by ¡°unknown strangers¡±, who appeared without warning. He was prevented from travelling to 바카라사이트 UK for a research visit because of his support for Hong Kong¡¯s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in 2014. And, in 2015, he was dismissed for alleged ¡°poor delivery¡± of one module.

It was not always like this. China made huge progress in modernising education in 바카라사이트 pre-Communist Republican period. For instance, in his time as chancellor of Peking University in 바카라사이트 early 20th century, Cai Yuanpei became a champion of ¡°free thinking¡±, encouraging diversity and tolerance among academics. He appointed radical Chinese intellectuals educated abroad to introduce and develop new cultural trends, and invited leading thinkers such as John Dewey and Bertrand Russell to deliver lectures that often contained explicit criticism of Chinese society and politics.

As China expert David Shambaugh says in his 2016 book, China¡¯s Future, 바카라사이트 central problem with modern China¡¯s education system is 바카라사이트 ¡°extreme degree¡± to which 바카라사이트 political system ¡°stifles 바카라사이트 entire intellectual sphere¡±. It is an enormous pity that a Trump White House seems so unlikely to put much pressure on 바카라사이트 CPC to remedy that situation and allow Chinese academia to flourish.

Tao Zhang is a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 College of Arts and Science at Nottingham Trent University.