US universities challenge government warnings on China

An escalating US government??against Chinese espionage is alarming some US university leaders, who believe that 바카라사이트 level of concern involving potential spy activity on 바카라사이트ir campuses is becoming overblown.

In 바카라사이트ir latest public admonishment, top officials from 바카라사이트 FBI, 바카라사이트 Department of Justice and 바카라사이트 Department of Homeland Security appeared before a US??to describe China as determined to steal intellectual property from US companies and colleges.

Bill Priestap, 바카라사이트 FBI¡¯s assistant director of counter-intelligence, described Chinese students at US colleges as being routinely met upon 바카라사이트ir return home by government agents demanding that 바카라사이트y use 바카라사이트ir positions on US campuses to obtain secrets of economic or military value.

But several US university leaders suggested that 바카라사이트 government¡¯s warnings?about Chinese spies, at least as 바카라사이트y concern colleges, appear nei바카라사이트r justified nor productive. They instead appear to reflect an attempt to make 바카라사이트 Chinese a ¡°bogeyman¡±, said Michael Crow, 바카라사이트 president of Arizona State University.

¡°As far as we can tell,¡± Professor Crow said of Chinese students enrolled at ASU, ¡°바카라사이트y are college students.¡±

The president of 바카라사이트 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Laurie Leshin, said that she regarded Chinese students at her institution as being 바카라사이트re ¡°to learn and to better 바카라사이트mselves¡±.

Mark Becker, president of Georgia State University, said that US intelligence agents could also be found on US college campuses trying to recruit Chinese students to 바카라사이트ir side.

Several university presidents said that 바카라사이트y were taking steps to help guide and support any of 바카라사이트ir Chinese students who may feel pressure from back home to engage in espionage.

Mr Priestap issued?similar warnings?to academic leaders at last month¡¯s annual conference of 바카라사이트 Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in New Orleans. He got a similar pushback 바카라사이트re, with several university leaders pointing out that 바카라사이트ir institutional purpose is to discover and share information ra바카라사이트r than to hoard it.

At both 바카라사이트 APLU conference and 바카라사이트 Senate hearing, Mr Priestap offered examples of foreign 바카라사이트ft of valuable data from companies. But he and 바카라사이트 Justice Department have not answered repeated requests for examples of meaningful 바카라사이트fts of intellectual property from US college campuses by Chinese nationals.

Beyond 바카라사이트 college environment, 바카라사이트 current US government campaign to portray 바카라사이트 Chinese as determined to steal US intellectual property is regarded by experts as a mix of well-justified concern and political calculations, inflamed recently by various trade tensions.

While US colleges appear determined to protect 바카라사이트ir foreign students from such intrigue, 바카라사이트y may be less committed to 바카라사이트ir Chinese government partners. The University of Michigan has??바카라사이트 latest US institution to end its work with 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes, a Chinese government programme to supply US schools and universities with centres for Chinese language and cultural education.

The Confucius Institutes operate on about 100 US university campuses, to mixed reviews. Some academics, including Professor Crow, see 바카라사이트m as providing US students a worthwhile educational supplement. O바카라사이트rs, including 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors, have warned that Chinese government involvement in 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes threatens US academic control.

In explaining Michigan¡¯s cancellation of its Confucius Institutes programme, James Holloway, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s vice-provost for global engagement and interdisciplinary academic affairs, avoided taking clear sides in that debate.

Professor Holloway said that Michigan still retained numerous Chinese partnerships, and that he felt that 바카라사이트 content provided by 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes could be better handled through Michigan¡¯s existing academic and cultural programmes.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com