Is exposure to totalitarian influence via the #coproratisation of academia inevitable? A still somewhat on-going story that kept Czech media busy earlier this month (yet seemingly underreported in English) suggests that's not necessarily the case. An independence-day thread. 0/ \1 Home Credit, a subsidiary of the Czech-owned (but NL-registered) conglomerate PPF with major activities in China, had driven the Czech turn towards the PRC (jamestown.org/program/united… q.v.). On 30 Sep, it signed an agreement to become the ‘main partner’ of Charles Uni in Prague.

\0 CCP influence on #nzpol: Zhang Yikun #张乙坤 and his United Front links (cf.

https://twitter.com/jichanglulu/status/1052008127590293504

). Member of the Standing Committee of the 6th Hainan CPPCC ('13-'18), according to (e.g.) the Puning Chamber of Commerce szspnsh.com/NewsView.aspx?… (cf. hainanzx.gov.cn/zxgk/zxgk/2016…). \1 On the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the United Front system, cf. jamestown.org/program/united… and especially the work of Gerry Groot @zuoluogu lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…
thechinastory.org/yearbooks/year…. Zhang was on the Hainan province ctte of the #CPPCC.

\0 #BRI and its disdiscontents: while in NZ #PwC、United Frontlings、pollies、their families、cacademics tirelessly tout Xi's project, others begin to realise its consequences. How long will it take for them to volte-face & reinvent selves as #nuanceds?
nytimes.com/2018/06/25/wor… \1 Take, for the sake of the argument, one Jason Young of @nzccrc. In '15, he was apparently invited to some #Xinjiang BRI event in and liked it just fine. As per 曹参赞's retroactive #CorrectGuidance—“you will listen!” And sit up and listen they did. #WIN thepolicyspace.com.au/2015/25/57-chi…