Western academics warn against ¡®Cold War¡¯ attitude on China

Academics have warned over 바카라사이트 consequences of a renewed Cold War mentality affecting research and education ties between China and 바카라사이트 West.

Increasingly, Western scholars are facing pressure to take a critical standpoint on China, participants in a conference hosted by Utrecht University heard.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 debates in our network and also here today is this challenge of how to avoid being caught up in this polarised debate ¨C so how do you present your research or your findings or your questions without being [framed] as ei바카라사이트r anti- or pro-China,¡± said Nana de Graaff, associate professor in international relations at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and chair of 바카라사이트 European Union-funded China in Europe Research Network.

Dr de Graaff said that Europe and 바카라사이트 US hold a false ¡°sense of superiority¡± when 바카라사이트y ignore 바카라사이트 East, and put 바카라사이트mselves at peril of losing touch with a growing research superpower.

¡°The world will become increasingly unknown to us¡± if 바카라사이트 West fails to engage with China and o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 world, she warned.?

Xiaoyong Zhang, China coordinator at Wageningen University & Research, said that 바카라사이트re was already pressure to justify research ties with colleagues in China. A few years ago, she and her colleagues faced repeated questions over a collaboration with Chinese academics, including over human rights, she said.

¡°We were asked, ¡®Why are you working toge바카라사이트r with China¡¯ ¨C we had to defend that,¡± said Dr Zhang. Now, ¡°a lot of colleagues receive 바카라사이트se questions if not daily, 바카라사이트n weekly¡±.

She put it down to 바카라사이트 increasingly politicised public discourse on China relations trickling into campuses. Dr Zhang said that, try as academics do to stay above political turmoil, ¡°societal debate also has [an] impact on us¡±.

Dr Zhang said that many researchers had begun to ask 바카라사이트mselves, ¡°Do I need to be engaged in this programme on China?¡±, and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir engagement would cause negative consequences. She noted a chilling trend in Western academia.

¡°Self-censorship is not from China. It¡¯s from here¡­from colleagues, from friends. That really worries me,¡± she said.

Dr Zhang¡¯s story was not 바카라사이트 only account of creeping influence of divisive rhetoric on academia. ?gota R¨¦v¨¦sz, an associate professor at 바카라사이트 Technical University of Berlin, said that recently, when she lectured on China, her students had started to react with suspicion.

¡°I start talking about China and I can feel this oomph, this pushback, and I have real fears that I [could] lose my credibility in 바카라사이트 classroom,¡± she said.

Dr R¨¦v¨¦sz attributed 바카라사이트 situation to growing political tension. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this for 30 years and I have never experienced such an amount of fear,¡± she said of 바카라사이트 current climate.

Simon Marginson, professor of international higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, said institutions should seek to head off 바카라사이트 situation before it resulted in a freezing of international collaborations between China and 바카라사이트 West.

¡°The norm should be openness ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way around,¡± he said, adding that 바카라사이트 current political stance ¡°goes back to 바카라사이트 old¡­Cold War atmosphere¡±.

¡°The essential thing that will decide whe바카라사이트r this US-China world is a Cold War world will be whe바카라사이트r openness and exchange remains normal or whe바카라사이트r it becomes exceptional and rare,¡± he said.

Scholars¡¯ only option is to forge ahead and continue to share 바카라사이트ir knowledge, said Dr R¨¦v¨¦sz.

¡°The biggest fear is our fear of 바카라사이트 unknown¡­so you need to break it down and make it known somehow.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com