Chinese students at universities in the UK are being pressured to spy on their classmates, reveals a new report.
According to Metro, the UK-China Transparency (UKCT) think tank said results from a survey of academics in China studies said the system was subject to ‘widespread CCP (Chinese Communist Party) influence, interference and harassment’ in order to suppress discussion of issues sensitive to the Chinese government.
The report claimed students had told their lecturers that they had been asked by Chinese officials to spy on their peers, while lecturers said they had instructed to not discuss certain topics in their classes
The Chinese embassy in London has denied the allegations, describing the report as ‘groundless and absurd’, reported BBC.
It comes days after the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 was introduced. The law is designed to stop universities from censoring controversial or unpopular ideas.
The law’s regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), says freedom of speech and academic freedom are “fundamental” to higher education.
However, according the UKCT, some universities are reluctant to tackle CCP’s interference due to universities’ reliance on the revenue Chinese students bring in tuition fees.
