A senior member of the US Congress on Thursday called for an investigation into deals that US universities are striking with China, amid fears that such tie-ups are compromising academic freedom.
Christopher Smith, who sits on the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, voiced concern that Beijing-backed “Confucius Institutes” are muting criticism of China’s communist authorities.
“Is American higher education for sale?” asked Smith, who also co-chairs the Congressional-Executive Committee on China.
“And if so, are US colleges and universities undermining the principle of academic freedom — and in the process their credibility — in exchange for China’s education dollars?” he asked.
Since 2004, nearly 100 Confucius Institutes have opened on US campuses to promote Chinese language, society and culture. Most are situated at publicly funded state universities that have otherwise been wrestling with budget cutbacks.
Smith told a hearing on the issue that he will be asking the Government Accountability Office, the independent research unit of the US Congress, to look into the matter.
“We need to look at whether these issues can be handled by the universities, their faculties and trustees themselves or if there is something the US Congress must do to ensure academic freedom is protected,” he said.
Perry Link of the University of California in Riverside, who is one of the US’ best-known sinologists, said Beijing uses Confucius Institutes as an “anodyne approach” to gain a foothold in the US’ higher education.
The teachers that China sends to staff such programs are hand-picked to present the official version of Chinese history and society, he said.
US college administrators who accept Chinese funding implicitly understand that discussions of sensitive issues — such as Taiwan, Tibet and the Tiananmen Square Massacre — are to be avoided, he said.
“Money-induced self-censorship prevents even the suggestion of such topics. American students are presented a roseate cameo of China and told that this is the whole,” he said in written testimony to the foreign affairs committee.
Thomas Cushman of Wellesley College in Massachusetts said China’s quest for formal ties with US colleges was part of a “soft-power” strategy to attain more influence in the West.
He said US colleges have “a moral imperative” to ensure that the benefits of relations with Chinese counterparts do not sideline freedom of expression.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS