Thread by @JimMillward

Chinese student jailed for his social media activity while a student at Minnesota. This is a test for University of Minnesota @UMNews --and other universities who should join in solidarity and strength: axios.com/china-arrests-…

I assume and hope Minnesota @UMNews is working behind the scenes on this student's behalf, providing legal aid, involving US State Dept., tapping alumni in PRC, opening back doors, whatever is possible and advisable. But

There are other levers: University of Minnesota @UMNews has a Chinese Visiting Scholars Initiative that should at least be brought up in these conversations. How can we encourage scholars to come to US if they will be arrested upon their return? chinacenter.umn.edu/funding/visiti…

And Minnesota @UMNews has a program expressly for training Chinese administrators, govt. officials, faculty, business leaders. They've worked with 3000 such since 2017: chinacenter.umn.edu/mingda/about-m… This, too, should come up in conversations about the persecuted student, because

a university cannot in good conscience work with professionals if they will be persecuted upon their return to China. Such exchanges are impt and must continue: But universities in the US have enough problems trying to stop Trump from banning Chinese students & blocking visas..

If CCP jails students for cartoons and further impinges on academic freedom--for what they read? What's on their phones and laptops? If CCP does that, we who favor robust cultural and academic interaction with Chinese friends won't be able to help against the China-bashers.

So a kid tweets Winnie the Pooh? Suck it up, CCP. There are much bigger issues before us. And U Minnesota, gather allies from other universities, and push back HARD against this--for the sake of continued academic exchanges. Help the student, but make the broader case too.

CCP is killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. If you let this go, there will be no end of it. We owe it to our Chinese students and colleagues nationwide to make killing this chicken an expensive and counterproductive gesture.

And to all the VP's for international affairs at Minnesota and other US universities: you can't go it alone with this kind of thing. Get together and make a joint, public response. The CCP leaders' own kids are in your schools, so

There is a lot of leverage to protect academic freedom AND strong academic ties to PRC, if you'll just use it.