Thread by @PM_Thornton

New Thread: 人民日报: CCP has just released the long-awaited newly revised "Regulations of the Communist Party of #China on the Work of Grassroots Organizations in Regular Colleges and Universities" 中国共产党普通高等学校基层组织工作条例 paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2021…

Spoiler alert: It does not mention #academicfreedom (or any other freedom); but it does mention Xi Jinping four times. Or, more rightly, it mentions Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想) four times.

I say "long awaited" because these regulations were initially deliberated & approved by the PBSC 5 Nov 2009, promulgated by the Party Central Committee on 13 Aug 2010; but, interestingly, then revised by the PB on 26 Feb 2021, then promulgated *again* by the CC on 16 April

New section in 第一则 第四条 assigning the school's Party committee's the role of "implementing the Party's leadership in *all aspects* of the *entire process* of running schools & universities to ensure the Party’s educational policy & central decision-making are implemented"

Schools & universities must commit to strengthening and improving Party-building such that Party-building takes root in #China alongside the administration of "socialist universities with Chinese characteristics;" Party branches or committees extended to dept. or programme level;

The earlier rule was that in any organization (inc. of course schools & unis) in which 3+ CCP members were employed, they must establish a Party branch. That stipulation in the 2010 version is gone-- all unis & schools must now build Party committees; and down to the dept. level

This presumably will be applied to universities and schools in #HongKong now, a process that is made easier by removing the earlier minimum rule (3 or more) and replacing it with a universal mandate: all must commit to Party-building #香港

Furthermore, 第四章 党的纪律检查工作: All schools & unis must establish a discipline inspection committee to carry out disciplinary work @lingli_vienna @CarlMinzner 高校设立党的基层纪律检查委员会（以下简称高校纪委)...上级纪委在监督检查、纪律审查等方面强化对高校纪委的领导

Bringing the regulations on the CCP organizations in academe more tightly into line with CCP committees/branches elsewhere (which is the apparent goal of this revision) further reduces the possibilities for #academicfreedom and critical inquiry anywhere they are applied.