IDS alarm over universities ‘in hock’ to China
TOP universities have been accused by Sir Iain Duncan Smith of being ‘in hock’ to China by clamping down on debates for fear of losing funding.
The former Conservative leader said universities were so reliant on revenue from overseas students that they were terrified of Beijing-critical discussions on campus.
His comments came after University College London banned a professor from teaching a ‘provocative’ seminar on China for financial reasons.
Sir Iain, one of a string of politicians to be sanctioned by Beijing over his criticism of the communist state, told the Mail: ‘A lot of universities have basically admitted to me they are completely in hock with Chinese students, that they wouldn’t be able to exist if they didn’t have their fees.
‘There’s a real problem with human rights in China but a lot of Chinese students are scared about speaking out because they are monitored. So they will shut down any debate on China.’
Fellow Tory MP Bob Seely added it was ‘surprising how some UK universities are happy to trash their reputations for short-term financial gain’.
UCL associate professor Michelle Shipworth said she was asked to alter her masters course after a Chinese student complained a seminar was ‘horrible provocation’.
It was examining data ranking China among the worst in the world for modern slavery.
The university reportedly said courses ‘need to retain a good reputation among Chinese
‘Scared about speaking out’
applicants’ to be ‘commercially viable’. Professor Shipworth told The Sunday Telegraph she had to ‘expose’ how universities are ‘conceding to the censorship demands of some Chinese students’.
She agreed to modify her seminar but said the incident left her feeling ‘suicidal’.
China sends around 150,000 students to UK universities, more than any other country.
UCL said the professor’s claims were ‘concerning’ and it was ‘working to establish what has happened’.