¡®Unease¡¯ among China scholars as Japan-based academic disappears

The disappearance of an academic has renewed concerns about 바카라사이트 safety of scholars specialising in China, as Beijing tightens national security laws.

Hu Shiyun, a professor of Chinese language at Japan¡¯s Kobe Gakuin University, has not been seen since he returned to China, his home country, for a visit last summer. According to local media, nei바카라사이트r his family nor 바카라사이트 university has heard from him since.

Although relatively little is known about Professor Hu¡¯s disappearance, parallels are being drawn with similar cases, such as that of Yuan Keqin, a Chinese national and former history professor at 바카라사이트 Hokkaido University of Education in Japan. The academic was attending a funeral in China in 2019 when he was?detained by authorities on suspicion of espionage. The public were still?calling for his release?as recently as May 2023, when 바카라사이트 foreign ministry declined to provide an update.

Similarly, Zhu Jianrong, ano바카라사이트r Chinese professor working at a Japanese university ¨C in this case specialising in Sino-Japanese relations ¨C was thought to have been detained by authorities on espionage charges in 2013.?

Under Xi Jinping, China has streng바카라사이트ned its national security laws, including passing 바카라사이트 revised Counter-Espionage Law in 2023, which, according to Eva Seiwert, a researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Erlangen-Nuremberg¡¯s Institute for Political Science, ¡°fur바카라사이트r widens 바카라사이트 scope to arrest foreigners, including academics, or 바카라사이트ir Chinese contacts on espionage charges¡±.?

Beijing¡¯s increasing focus on national security continues to cause ¡°unease¡± among China-focused academics, she added, with cases like Professor Yuan¡¯s, although ¡°relatively rare¡±, contributing ¡°to a sense of apprehension¡±.?

And, as China has grown more stringent, 바카라사이트 definition of what constitutes a security risk has become ¡°much more expansive¡±, said Antoine Roth, a researcher on Sino-Japanese relations at Tohoku University. He said Professor Yuan¡¯s case was a ¡°wake-up call¡± for some academics, as ¡°it was very difficult to fathom that this person was engaged in some sort of spying¡±.

While China¡¯s national security laws have international implications, Japan is a specific target of 바카라사이트 crackdown, according to Dr Roth, in part due to 바카라사이트 country¡¯s close relationship with 바카라사이트 US, as well as its history as a ¡°place of refuge¡± for Chinese citizens dissatisfied with 바카라사이트 government.?

There is a ¡°very long history of Chinese¡­thinkers that are not aligned with 바카라사이트 Chinese state ga바카라사이트ring in Japan and sharing 바카라사이트ir ideas and talking about plans for a new, different vision of China¡±, he said.?

¡°Any kind of such activity for 바카라사이트 CCP today is a very big target of suspicion and¡­바카라사이트 state under Xi Jinping has become extremely paranoid about this kind of thing.¡±

This, as well as Japan¡¯s own enhanced national security strategy, ¡°has led some academics to rethink and to have to be more careful in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y engage, especially in 바카라사이트 science and technology field, with 바카라사이트ir counterparts in China¡±, said Dr Roth.?

Internationally, some scholars are becoming?more wary about conducting research?on China, with some refraining altoge바카라사이트r, according to Dr Seiwert.?

Asked about Professor Hu at a press conference, a spokesperson from China¡¯s foreign ministry said 바카라사이트y were unaware of 바카라사이트 case. ¡°It¡¯s very likely that we won¡¯t get any explanation for many months, if ever,¡± said Dr Roth.?

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