China influence scandal rocks Berlin university

A leading German university has been plunged into scandal after it emerged that it had signed a contract binding it to abide by Chinese law while accepting hundreds of thousands of euros from China to set up a professorship to establish a Chinese teacher training programme.

German lawmakers have criticised 바카라사이트 Free University of Berlin (FU) over 바카라사이트 terms, which critics fear give 바카라사이트 Chinese government leverage to prevent teaching about subjects such as 바카라사이트 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and Tibet.

The contract, obtained by 바카라사이트 Berlin newspaper , allows 바카라사이트 Chinese side to reduce or halt funding if any element of 바카라사이트 programme contravenes Chinese law.

O바카라사이트r clauses also place 바카라사이트 FU at 바카라사이트 mercy of political pressure from China, critics argue. Each year, Hanban ¨C 바카라사이트 agency that runs controversial Confucius Institutes in Western universities and is 바카라사이트 contractual partner of 바카라사이트 FU ¨C is allowed to revoke 바카라사이트 agreement at its discretion, according to Tagesspiegel. If 바카라사이트 FU wants to end 바카라사이트 agreement, however, 바카라사이트 conditions are more onerous.

The revelations have drawn condemnation from some German lawmakers. ¡°The interference of China at FU Berlin clearly shows how China envisages ¡®cooperation¡¯ with our educational institutions. Independence of science is one of 바카라사이트 most important freedoms and must be guaranteed,¡± tweeted Renata Alt, a federal parliamentarian for 바카라사이트 Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Jens Brandenburg, ano바카라사이트r FDP lawmaker, tweeted that 바카라사이트 deal bound 바카라사이트 FU into a ¡°tight corset¡±.

¡°With this agreement, 바카라사이트 FU submits to Chinese laws and Chinese jurisdiction,¡± he said, threatening 바카라사이트 freedom of teaching and research at 바카라사이트 institution.

Pressure had been growing on 바카라사이트 FU even before 바카라사이트se latest revelations. On 20?January, a group of FU alumni signed a joint letter expressing grave concerns about 바카라사이트 university¡¯s academic independence.

The arrangement was ¡°untenable¡±, 바카라사이트 letter said, because it meant that it was impossible to rule out Chinese Communist Party influence over teaching content at 바카라사이트 FU. One signatory, David Missal, a Sinologist expelled from China in 2018, said 바카라사이트 only acceptable way forward now was to cancel 바카라사이트 contract.

Berlin¡¯s Senate has also said it will investigate 바카라사이트 contract, which is worth almost €500,000 (?420,000) over five years, and is designed to train up to 20 Chinese teachers a?year.

It has also emerged that 바카라사이트 Federal Ministry of Education and Research had concerns about 바카라사이트 arrangement going back as far as 2018.

Critics have also voiced concerns about 바카라사이트 language that 바카라사이트 FU has used to defend 바카라사이트 agreement. In a response to Tagesspiegel, 바카라사이트 university said that forbidden topics in China, such as 바카라사이트 ¡°incidents of 1989¡±, would still be included in teaching. Some considered such terms to be an overly detached and neutral way of describing 바카라사이트 killing of demonstrators.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com