Thread by @joshuawongcf

[Vanishing free speech - Universities at the forefront of China’s propaganda war]

1. Universities are one of prime targets of #China’s overseas propaganda campaigns, as a way to stamp out overseas #CCP critics like @DrewPavlou & critical studies on China

hongkongfp.com/2020/08/14/aus…

2. From growing unexamined ties with China, censored articles to expelled students, It is worrying that autonomy of Australia's universities now faces intensifying erosions.

3. Without public scrutiny on funds from #Beijing government and directly funded bodies, it is worrying that those CCP funds have become China’s new leverage, which would clearly undermine the educational independence of receiving universities.

4. #CCP-funded courses also function as #China's propaganda arms, with their teaching materials legitimizing #Beijing’s human rights violations in #Uyghur re-education camps in #Xinjiang and stigmatizing #HK democracy movements.
news.com.au/finance/busine…

5. On top of that, Beijing-backed and owned entities also use to the research capacity of Australian universities to develop #China’s surveillance and social credit system, which are used in internal repressions.
news.com.au/national/austr…

6. In the absence of transparency, it is doubtful whether universities in Australia can defend their bastions of free thought amid China’ growing influence, especially when some of them pledging loyalty to #Beijing by expelling #Beijing critics and censoring “sensitive” articles.

7. Universities should be more than just business values, but also the bastion of liberal values. I hope that Australian universities should take concrete measures to protect their autonomy and make their controversial ties with #China more transparent.