Confucius has say on UK campuses

EVIDENCE: REPORT ABOUT BEIJING ‘BULLYING’ STUDENTS

Some Australian universities paid to follow China institute rules.

Beijing yesterday criticised as “fictitious” a report by British politicians, claiming there was “alarming evidence” of Chinese interference on university campuses.

The report cited examples where Beijing-linked organisations appeared to suppress freedom of speech at institutions of higher education.

One academic told lawmakers he saw Confucius Institute officials confiscating papers which mentioned Taiwan – which Beijing considers a rebel province awaiting reunification – at an academic conference.

The Confucius Institute teaches students about Chinese language and culture at hundreds of universities around the world.

Christopher Hughes, a professor at the London School of Economics, said he had seen Chinese students in the British capital engaged in activities to “undermine Hong Kong protesters”.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said: “China has always adhered to a principle of noninterference in internal affairs.”

The UK lawmakers should “do more to ... advance China-UK relations, instead of making fictitious remarks and sowing discord,” he added.

The report comes as pro-democracy demonstrations in semi-autonomous Hong Kong have sparked tensions at universities in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, as students organise rallies both in support of and against the movement.

The Chinese government does not appear to have tried to quiet the tensions, with consulates in Auckland and Brisbane praising the “spontaneous patriotism” of pro-Beijing students.

Hong Kong has been convulsed by five months of huge and increasingly violent protests, calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability – the biggest challenge to Beijing’s rule since the city was handed back by Britain in 1997.

In July, Australian Education Minister Dan Tehan said the government was looking at whether deals between 13 local universities and the Confucius Institute breached foreign interference laws.

The Sydney Morning Herald had published contracts between the Confucius Institute and Australian universities, four of which featured clauses giving the organisation final say on “teaching quality” and stated activities must respect “cultural custom”.

In return, the universities received funding of A$100 000 to $150 000 (about R1 million to R1.5 million), 3 000 Chinese books and other materials.